As an ex-smoker, what are the chances of dying from lung cancer. And should we get tested more often afterward?
Question by CHEEKY: As an ex-smoker, what are the chances of dying from lung cancer. And should we get tested more often afterward?
I smoked for 21 years. You would think there was a need for a long term ex smoker to see how the lungs are holding up aferwards…but you never hear about follow-up health checks.
Best answer:
Answer by BabeHart
People who have never smoked a drag in their life may die from lung cancer. People who smoke like chimneys from childhood until their senior years, may not develop or die from lung cancer.
There are no guarantees…smoking simply increases your risks of lung issues and some other health problems. Quitting sees the risk of those things go down somewhat, but unless you are quite for many years, your risk remains higher than someone who has never smoked (and has no other predispositions to those issues).
When you go for your yearly physical, talk to your doctor about wanting to know the condition of your lungs and if they are improving after quitting.
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I think you can get a chest X-ray to show if their has been any scarring in your lungs but I have heard some figures that may give you hope. Supposedly if you stop smoking you get back around 75% of your lung capacity. If you want to increase your lung capacity even more start running, you may need to watch your weight more since you no longer have the nicotine in your body.
There is some testing ongoing to see if scans are a useful screening tool. To date, getting CT scans has not been shown to improve survival.
You just have to hope you are lucky. I too smoked for 25 years. The scans I had for breast cancer showed some tiny lung nodules, but evidently these are pretty common. That’s the problem with using highly sensitive scans as screening tools. They reveal all kinds of “internal freckles” that must then be followed or tested further to make sure they aren’t malignant. The vast majority are not.
So … in short, there is currently no screening test for smokers or ex-smokers that has shown to have any benefit to their survival.
How many packs did you smoke a day over those 21 years?
1 Pack a day for 1 year = 1 Pack-year
2 Packs a day for 1 year = 2 Pack-years
etc
Doctors ignore the fact that you have ever smoked unless you have more than 20 Pack-years.