Who is at risk of developing lung cancer?

Long-term smokers, those whose occupations involve exposure to dust or smoke, or those with family history of lung cancer should get screened for lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the three most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. In Vietnam, lung cancer ranks second after liver cancer, with an estimated 23,000 new cases and nearly 21,000 deaths each year, and these numbers are constantly increasing.

On October 15th, Associate Professor Pham Van Binh, Deputy Director of Professional Affairs at K Hospital, stated that thousands of patients are diagnosed with lung cancer each year at the hospital. However, at the time of diagnosis, over 70% of cases have already progressed or metastasized to distant sites, making curative treatment inadvisable.

"The symptoms of lung cancer are often subtle in the early stages, such as coughing, hoarseness, wheezing, etc., which can easily lead patients to mistakenly think they are just symptoms of a respiratory illness," said Dr. Binh.

Hanoi residents undergo lung cancer screening. Photo: Le Nga — Hanoi residents undergo lung cancer screening. Photo: *Le Nga*

Nowadays, with advancements in medicine, lung cancer is being detected earlier than ever before. However, only about 30% of lung cancer patients arrive at the hospital at a stage where surgery is possible. Surgery always plays a crucial and radical role in the treatment of lung cancer. Therefore, early detection of lung cancer before symptoms appear is very important.

Signs of lung cancer include persistent cough, chest pain, unremitting hoarseness, coughing up blood, wheezing, shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, headaches, and muscle aches.

Screening is a way to detect the presence of lung cancer in healthy individuals at high risk of developing the disease. The method involves a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest to look for tumors. The earlier lung cancer is detected, the higher the chances of a cure.

Doctors at K Hospital perform surgery on a lung cancer patient. Photo: Ha Tran — Doctors at K Hospital perform surgery on a lung cancer patient. Photo: *Ha Tran*

Groups that need regular lung cancer screening include people with a history of smoking, especially for 20 years or more; people over 50 years old who have smoked for a period of time (over 10 years); people who smoke more than 20 packs/year; and people who are currently smoking or have quit within the last 15 years.

People aged 50 to 80; those who have had lung cancer and have been treated for 5 years or more; and those with a family history of cancer (lung cancer or any other type of cancer) that started before age 60 should be screened.

People whose occupations involve exposure to dust, fumes (cooking smoke, cigarette smoke, incense, asbestos), or radiation; people with other cancers or chronic lung diseases (COPD, tuberculosis); and patients requiring screening.

People exposed to secondhand smoke (relatives, spouses, children of smokers) should also get screened for lung cancer.

Doctors recommend screening for the disease once a year. Screening should be stopped if the person at risk is over 80 years old, has quit smoking for more than 15 years and has been screened multiple times during that time without detecting the disease, or has health problems that limit life expectancy or the possibility of lung surgery (e.g., severe cardiovascular disease, severe kidney failure...).

Le Nga

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