Can a person get lung cancer even if he or she have quit smoking?
Jun 14, 2010 in
Mesothelioma FAQs
My cousin is freaking out that her father will get lung cancer even after he had stop smoking for about 3 years. Will he or won’t he?
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50 comments
mark90_2k2 on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Anyone could, but his risk is higher and probably always will be.
But, he may not… smoking isnt a 100% definite sentence to lung cancer, he might not get it!
John Holmes on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
In a word, yes
Ginny Potter on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
smoking is not the only cause for lung cancer.
Eagleaire on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
depends when you stopped
. on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
it can sure get you closer
Rach:) on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
you can get lung cancer even if you don’t smoke..
so yes!
georgia_peach on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
We don’t know if your uncle is going to get lung cancer or not but yes a person can get lung cancer even if he or she has quit smoking.
Patricia C on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
A person who has never smoked one cigarette can die from lung cancer.
Karasu on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
you can get lung cancer at any time in your life and not just from smoking. smoking does increase one’s risk of getting it.
Random on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Yes
tvguide on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
???
dora k on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
sure can
Vegetarian Rockstar on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Yes. Lung cancer isn’t ONLY caused by smoking. It’s possible he will get lung cancer.
Jally on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
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April S on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
It takes 20 years for the lung to heal itself completely from just one cigarette. Quitting decreases the chances of cancer, but it does not eliminate them.
momo on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
If it hasn’t started when he quit then no. If it has started and then he quit, then yes he is still going to get it. But if he quit just in time then he might be good.
Virusfist on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
You can get lung cancer from not smoking at all. So yes of course he can. Its just the more you smoke the higher the chances will be
squishy on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
it’s possible still to get lung cancer, even likely depending on how long he smoked, however, your alwalys better off not smoking, that will do a ton for your health regardless of the risks of lung cancer.
Vivianne V on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Yes, it is possible. Nobody can tell if he will or wont get cancer though. Relax ! Just hope he doesn’t.
Jillusional on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
There is no answer to that question.
Smoking will increase his chances of getting lung cancer, yes, but nobody will say for sure whether or not he will get it.
Even if you quit, there is still all that junk in your body, so the chances are that much higher if he has smoked for 3 years.
wowzer9 on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
anyone can get lung cancer…there have been cases where people who has never even smoked get it..
Ann on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
He could. My Grandma hadn’t smoked for fifteen years when she got cancer. Tell her not to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet, but yearly check-ups are important.
Merissa V on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
yes of course they could because there is alway second hand smoke.
and also it depends on how much you did smoke in the past, and how much damage they have done to there lungs.
you should just simply get her father to visit the doctor and see what they say the chance is:)
good luck
Josh M on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
I think the smoke remains in your lungs, so I guess it’s possible.
BusyOldBag on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
I just found out my nephew has a large mass and a small
mass on his lungs. The doctors are running test. They think it is cancer. He is in his twenties.
He smokes but his dad died the same way.
~amber~ on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
well that’s hard to say because if he stopped smoking for three years i’d assume he got treatment but it takes FOREVER to clear tar from your lungs. It all depends on how long he’s been smoking. All i can tell you is to be hopeful but if he gets lung cancer that’s just how god wanted it to be.
Arpeet K on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
You could have never smoked in your life, and never inhaled second hand smoke, and you could get lung cancer. Smoking isn’t the only cause for lung cancer. It just greatly increases the chance to get lung cancer. The fact that your uncle quit smoking will decrease his chances of getting lung cancer, but it will never free him from it.
Kaci on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Smoking isnt the only risk factor for lung cancer. It helps that he stipped smoking but there is no way to say if he will or won’t get it. Cancer is also genitic, can have to do with diet, being overweight and many other factors.
flowers? on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Yes. Some people are even unfortunate enough to get lung cancer even if they have never smoked. It is very possible for people to get lung cancer from breathing in other people’s smoke… hence all the bans on smoking in public places. BUT, if you are a smoker and then stop, you are doing the right thing, your health will improve. It is not pointless to quit, if that is what you mean.
Marissa on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
yes you can still get lung cancer
if you just stopped smoking
other than if you stopped smoking a while ago
the larger the chance of getting cancer
avonlady1971 on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
yes, you can get lung cancer even if you dont smoke, look at Christopher Reeves wife, she got lung cancer from second hand smoke from singing in night clubs
dale_jdc on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
You can get lung cancer even if you have never smoked, ever! Of course he can still develop lung cancer, but his lungs started to rehabilitate after he quit. Let’s not forget the other cancers related to smoking tobacco products, mouth, throat, esophagus, and believe it or not, bladder cancer is extremely high among smokers.
Mama Mia on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Yes you can even get lung cancer from second hand smoke. They say that Dana Reeves who was married to the guy who played Superman in the movies never smoked at all. (Christopher Reeves) Some of the damage is reversed though for ever year that you have quit.
warrior soul on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
The doctor a the hospital yesterday said that 98% of all cases of lung cancer are from smoking alone. So all the people saying that you can get it and die from not smoking are not right. Only someone that has been in second hand smoke for long periods of time may get it as well. or people with contact to asbestos. don’t panic about it, if he hasn’t any symptoms by now, more than likely his lungs are healed enough to not get it at all.
Louise M on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
people can get lung cancer even without ever smoking
ca_surveyor on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Well, LOTS of things cause lung cancer.. but it has been shown that Cigarettes are a significant (ie: VERY high) risk factor in cancer and other diseases (ie heart diseases) It is so high that essentially you can say that smoking causes cancer.. But remember that cancer is not brought on by just smokine. . All things being equal, a person who stops smoking will significantly reduce the odds of contracting those conditions, but you never eliminate it. After all if they knew exactly which things causes cancer then it would be easy to prevent it .
If your cousin does not live next to a coal smelter or Chernobyl he is likley much better off in his life expectency to have stopped. Congratulate him for us on his choice.
.
Monica O on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
While you can get lung cancer if you’ve never smoked a cigarette in your life, the chances are much greater if you’re a smoker. Over 80% of lung cancer is smoking-related.
That being said, once you have quit, your chances of lung cancer decrease. And the longer you are smoke-free, the lesser your chance of contracting lung cancer.
Here is a website that describes the benefits of quitting smoking, taking you from the 2nd day after you’ve quit to 15 years later:
http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/afterquitting/a/after_quitting.htm
If you notice, from 5 to 15 years after you’ve quit, your chances of getting lung cancer are those of someone who has NEVER smoked.
So as long as her father keeps it up, his outlook is good.
C0C014.* on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
It is a big chance that he can get lung cancer. Because basically that is the only way you can get it. And to tell the truth the rest is up to the Lord above not to get religious on you. But you can’t really tell or tell not.
HappyCamper on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
No one knows for sure but yes it is highly possible. Years of smoking has damaged our lungs to the point that they just can’t breath well. Stale air stays in them because we never exhale all the air out and take in new. I’ve started exhaling all the air out and then brathing in thru my nose and filling my lungs up again, Will this help me not get lung cancer——I don’t know but it sure won’t give it to me either. It’s only been 3 mo. since I quit.
Bubbles on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
I have heard before that you can have it and also I’ve heard it’s not only from smoking..Maybe she should talk with her dad about it.
Kirsten . on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
well there are many factors that deal with getting lung cancer
smoking has its risks but isn’t the exact cause
even though he did stop he still has a risk
but that doesn’t mean he will or won’t
so don’t freak out
doggylover on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Well i’m not sayign that he will get it this second.But he increaed his risk a whole lot of getting it.Even second hand smoke will give you lung cancer which I hope i won’t get due to my nanna smoking.ANyway yeah it’s likely that he might get lung cancer.
Dana B on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
no one can be sure if he will or wont it depends on his body, age, immune system, health, and diet. even though he only smoked for a few years the damage is pretty much done.
ponyluva on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
yeah
gwhizcat on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Freaking out over the possibilities won’t help anyone, and no one can say for sure whether he will or not. Smoking isn’t the only reason people get lung cancer – it can happen to anyone. My daddy smoked for over 40 years but when he died it was not from lung cancer and supposedly no cancer was found on his lungs at all (but he did have problems with emphysema).
starlight90210 on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
UNFORTUANTELY YOU STILL CAN GET IT:-(
MY BROTHER DIED FROM LUNG CANCER EVEN THOUGH HE HAS QUIT THE BAD HABIT OVER 15 YEARS AGO!
Jeycx on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Depend. Not all the people who smoke gets cancer.
Do check up regulary it’s the best choice, if discover anything minor, cure immediately.
"Prevent it’s better than cure"
mraegxy on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
He might. You don’t have to smoke to get lung cancer.
Lauren Loves you on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
yeppppppppp.
and 2nd hand smoke
Christina on June 14, 2010 at 9:41 pm
yes, i guess. I just had a good friend that attendended a funeral for a man that died of lung cancer. funny thing is, is that he didn’t smoke, never smoked ( and if ih did it wasn’t within the last fifteen years) but the lesson is, the sooner you quit, the better. for others. his wife was a chain smoker. yet she still lives. funny how that stuff works. or not.