BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to make the public aware of the disease that kills more than 3-times the number of people who die from breast cancer in America.
According to the West Virginia Cancer Registry and Health Statistics Center lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in West Virginia.
“Everyone should be aware of signs and symptoms to look for and if there is anything concerning or usual they should speak to their family provider,” Nurse practitioner Lindsay Milam said.
The mountain state has a higher rate of lung cancer than the nation as a whole. Nearly one in three of all cancer deaths in West Virginia are from lung cancer. Milam said there are the signs and symptoms to look out for.
“Shortness of breath, cough, Hemoptysis, which is producing blood when you cough, weight loss, which is unintentional and fatigue. Those are just some of the common ones, but they are numerous signs and symptoms.”
Milam recommends visiting your family practitioner at least once a year, and if anything unusual is going on You should see them sooner. Research shows younger people are developing lung cancer who don’t even smoke.
“Just be aware of the signs and symptoms and encourage your loved ones to be seen if something is going on.”
For more information on Lung Cancer Awareness Month, you can visit www.lung.org.
