Unlike many other cancers, there are some steps you can take to prevent lung cancer. If you are a smoker, stop. Numerous smoking cessation courses and aids are available today. If you are a nonsmoker, try to avoid second-hand smoke. Other preventive steps include:

• Test your home for radon, especially if you live in an area known to have high levels. State radon offices can offer more information on correcting this problem. The Environmental Protection Agency Web site, located at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/contacts.html also provides information on how to lower radon levels in homes.

• Maintain a desirable weight.

• Eat a varied diet; cut down on total fat intake.

• Limit alcohol intake.

• Be aware of and limit exposure to industrial agents at work such, as nickel, chromate, asbestos and vinyl chloride.

Finally, be sure to have regular check-ups. If you are a smoker, ask your health care professional about how to stop.

Research and New Treatments on the Horizon
New chemotherapy approaches: Clinical trials are currently investigating the use of neoadjuvant treatments (chemotherapy or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation before surgery) for early stage lung cancer. Other clinical trials are testing new chemotherapy drugs, while other studies are testing whether the effectiveness of existing chemotherapeutic drugs can be improved by combining them with each other or with radiation therapy.