OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) - — Today is World Lung Cancer day.
Thousands are affected by the disease every day.
Doctors we spoke to at Nebraska Medicine say more than 140,000 people will die from lung cancer this year.
Doctor Aparkishor Ganti works at the Buffet Cancer Center, he says they treat about 300 cases of lung cancer every year.
He says, developing the disease is common for smokers and former smokers.
Dr. Ganti also says, he sees roughly 20 to 25 lung cancer patients a week.
Although smoking increases the risk of developing lung cancer, Dr. Ganti says it's never too late to quit.
He urges those who have a family history of the illness, or those who feel something is wrong, to get screened.
But, Dr. Ganti warns early detection can be tricky.
"Unfortunately there is no good way to identify lung cancer when it is really early, the most common symptoms of lung cancer are cough, shortness of breath, [or] coughing up blood," Dr. Ganti said. "But these are seen in a minority of patients with early-stage lung cancer ... these are often seen when the cancer has advanced beyond the lung itself."
He also tells us smokers between the ages of 55 and 74 should get screened, as well as those who quit in the past 15 years.
"Don't neglect any symptom that has been going on for a while, even if it's a simple cough that has been persistent," he said. It's worthwhile getting that tested.
