Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with more than 200,000 new cases each year.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month is observed in November each year to raise awareness about lung cancer and the importance of early screening.

“If lung cancer is caught in the early stages, typically only surgery is needed,” said Hillary Knowles, a nurse practitioner and lung screening navigator with the Rush Medical Group. “People don’t have to go through chemotherapy and things like that.”

As part of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the Kendall County Health Department and Rush Copley Medical Center are partnering once again to host a lung cancer awareness event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 3 at Rush Copley Healthcare Center, 1100 W. Veterans Parkway, Yorkville.

This event is free and open to the public.

The event will feature a presentation from noon to 12:30 p.m. by Dr. Jonathan Waxman, a thoracic surgeon with RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Thoracic surgeons operate on the heart, lungs, esophagus, and major blood vessels inside the chest, as well as the bony structures and tissues that form and support the chest cavity.

Knowles and the Rush scheduling team will be on-site to assist with obtaining an order and scheduling a screening appointment.

“The scan itself is about 90 seconds,” Knowles said. “You just show up and lay down and have a scan and that’s it.”

A representative from the nonprofit organization Imerman Angels will also be at the event.

“They do one-on-one, peer support for anybody whose going through cancer treatments or who has been affected by cancer or at risk for cancer,” Knowles said.

Those who attend the Nov. 3 event can take home large white ribbons to decorate with words of inspiration and hope. The ribbons are part of The White Ribbon Project, which helps promote awareness about lung cancer.

Kendall County Health Department staff will be at the event to discuss smoking and radon gas. Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer.

The risk of developing lung cancer increases with both the amount and length of tobacco use. About 80% of lung cancer deaths are thought to result from smoking.

Kendall County Health Department care coordinator Miguel Hernandez noted how hard it is for a person to give up smoking because cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.

“Most often people will try to quit several times before they’re actually able to quit,” he said.

Vapes also contain nicotine. The Illinois Tobacco Quitline is a free resource to help people quit smoking and vaping. More information is on its website, quityes.org.

Radon gas exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year.

Radon gas is an odorless, colorless gas that seeps out of the ground. When it seeps through cracks in a foundation or a basement floor, radon can concentrate to dangerous levels.

“Chronic exposure will increase your chances of developing lung cancer over a long period of time,” said Aaron Rybski, environmental health services director for the Kendall County Health Department.

Rybski noted that pets can also get lung cancer.

He recommended people have their homes tested every three to five years for radon gas. The Kendall County Health Department sells radon testing kits for $7 if picked up in person.

Residents can also have a test shipped to their house for $9.

“It’s not just a scary, cancer-causing agent in the house that you can’t cure and take care of,” Rybski said. “It’s something that absolutely can be remedied.”

He advised residents to have a radon mitigation system installed in their home.

“If it’s something that can be corrected and it’s something that you can eliminate from your house simply by having a mitigation system installed, why not do it,” Rybski said. “Why wait until you sell the home.”

For more information about smoking cessation resources, radon and associated risks, contact the Kendall County Health Department at 630-553-9100 or go to kendallhealth.org.

To learn more about lung cancer screening as well as cancer resources offered by Rush Copley Medical Center, contact the Rush Lung Cancer Screening Navigator at 630-978-4989, or go to rush.edu/lung-cancer-screening.