A note to know

I guess all of you have heard about Dana Reeve's (wife of "Superman" Christopher Reeve) passing last week after a short battle of lung cancer. For the past years, I always kept myself posted in the latest development of lung cancer research because someone from my family was diagnosed and died from this horrible disease without a trace of cause.

The only reason to blame for a non-smoker who's diagnosed with lung cancer is genetic mutation. Of course, breathing in airborne particles (or second-hand smoke) which maybe harmful to the body will increase the risk. Among these non-smokers, woman has a much higher chance than man. To make the long story short, the cancerous cells found in the lung of a non-smoker are different than the ones seen in a smoker's. The cause of cancer in a non-smoker's lung involves a mutation in a protein (Epidermal Growth Factor) which promotes cell growth. This is something none of us can have any control of.

What makes lung cancer a more nasty disease? Usually the individual shows no sign of sickness. And when something seems notably wrong, it's already at the terminal stage where no cure is available. As I have mentioned above, it can be genetically inherited, which means, if any of your family members, especially someone from your immediate family, is diagnosed with lung cancer, you will have a higher risk in getting this disease. And, if you're female as well, you will have a even higher chance.

Here're some statistic figures done on lung cancer patients in regards of gender difference between smoker/non-smoker:
17% of lung cancer patients are non-smokers
80% of non-smoker lung cancer paitents are women

If you are a descendant of a lung cancer patient and fall into one or both of the above categories, you should let your doctor knows about your family history and have an annual physical to make sure you're well wired.