Lung Cancer Quiz

1. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is True.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer kills more men and women than breast, prostate, colon, liver, and bladder cancer combined. Nearly 450 people die of lung cancer in the United States each day (more than 160,000 per year).

2. I’ve never smoked, so I don’t need to worry about lung cancer.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is False.

It’s true that smoking is by far the leading risk factor for lung cancer, but you don’t have to smoke to get lung cancer. More than 40,000 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year in non-smokers due to radon exposure, secondhand smoke, air pollution, and other cancer-causing agents.

3. Smoking occasionally, or “social smoking”, does not increase my risk for lung cancer.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is False.

Although the risk of developing lung cancer is nowhere near that of full-time smokers, social smokers have an elevated risk compared with non-smokers.

4. Before the advent of cigarettes, lung cancer was an extremely rare disease.
- True
- False

5. E-cigarettes, or “vaping”, is a safe way to get nicotine without the lung cancer risk.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is False (actually “unknown”).

A study done by the FDA found cancer-causing substances in half the e-cigarette samples tested. Studies have shown that e-cigarettes can cause short-term lung changes similar to those caused by traditional cigarettes, but the long-term safety of these products is currently unknown. Research in this area is ongoing.

6. Once diagnosed, lung cancer is difficult to cure.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is True.

Like most cancers, if lung cancer is detected early, patients often have a good chance of getting cured. Unfortunately, by the time most cases of lung cancer are detected, they are difficult to treat, and the outcomes are not very good, especially when compared with other types of cancers. The five-year survival rate for lung cancer is 15%, versus 99% for prostate cancer, 87% for breast cancer, and 64% for colon cancer.

7. Quitting smoking eliminates your chance of getting lung cancer.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is False.

By quitting, you prevent your risk of lung cancer from continuing to increase, but it won’t eliminate the risk altogether. Your risk of lung cancer is related to how much (and how long) you smoked before quitting permanently.

8. Smoking low-tar or “light” cigarettes somewhat decreases your chance of developing lung cancer.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is False.

The National Cancer Institute has determined that “light” cigarettes do not reduce the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, and they actually may increase your risk, as some smokers will smoke more to get the amount of nicotine they want.

9. Lung cancer research receives less federal funding than breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is True.

Research funding for lung cancer is consistently less than for other cancers, which is disproportional to lung cancer’s public health impact.

10. Surgery causes lung cancer to spread.
- True
- False
The Correct Answer is False.

Despite a myth to the contrary, surgery does not cause lung cancer to spread, and in the early stages of lung cancer, it can offer a chance to cure the disease.