There have been many discussions about prostate and breast cancer, but lung cancer, which is the number one cause of death in the United States, seems to have been forgotten.  It kills more African American men than women even though it has been reported that African Americans and Caucasians have a similar rate of smoking. Women, African American and Caucasian, have the same rate of smoking, rate of discovery, and death.  Fortunately, most people are diagnosed early, but African Americans have the highest death rate and the shortest survival time of any other racial or ethnic group.

There is a definite relationship between smoking and inhaling second-hand smoke.  Talk to your physician about the CT lung scan screen for early detection of lung cancer.  This is important if you are between the ages of 55 and 80 and had a 30-year history of smoking and stopped within the past 15 years.

Thank you to the American Cancer Society for up to date facts.