1 in 5 lung cancers are diagnosed in never-smokers
Sadly, 69% of these cases are diagnosed in the late stages of cancer, where survival is extremely low. If detection could be improved, so too could survival.
Improving early detection:
To have effective early radon induced cancer screening programs, two things are needed:
- Current Radon Exposure
- Lifetime Radon Exposure
Testing your property for radon will determine your CURRENT RADON EXPOSURE. Knowing your current radon exposure is important as it:
- Enables you to remove radon risk from your life
- Tell your health care providers, so they are aware of this as a cancer risk factor.
Unfortunately there is no way to measure LIFETIME RADON EXPOSURE, thus lifesaving early cancer screening programs are not possible for never- or light-smokers. This is unacceptable and is where our team of national scholars have come together to solve this issue.
To solve this issue, we are developing new technology to determine lifetime radon exposure. Funded by the Canadian Cancer Society, we are looking for traces of radon exposure in our bodies so that individuals who had high radon exposure can:
- Take informed, preventative action to prevent lung cancer.
- Have access to lung cancer screening programs that for the first time, will include radon-exposed never-smokers and light-smokers.
- Have earlier disease diagnosis at earlier cancer stages, ultimately saving lives.
