Mercy's Dr. Kieran Brune of The Lung Center Discusses Rising Lung Cancer Rates
January 08, 2018
Lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in the United States and around the world. Cigarette smoking is by far the No. 1 risk factor for lung cancer, but those who have never smoked can also develop the disease.
According to Dr. Kieran Brune a pulmonologist with The Lung Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, up to 20 percent of people who die from lung cancer are non-smokers.
"Smoking is by far the biggest risk factor for lung cancer, but other risk factors include certain environmental exposures like air pollution, exposure to second-hand smoke, radon gas and certain work exposures like asbestos or diesel fuel exhaust," Dr. Brune said.
Dr. Brune explained that lung cancer symptoms include persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain and coughing up blood. But 25 percent of patients have no symptoms at all when the cancer is first discovered on a routine chest X-ray or CT scan.
To view Mercy pulmonologist Dr. Kieran Brune’s interview regarding lung cancer, click here.
About Mercy
Founded in 1874 in Downtown Baltimore by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center is a 183-licensed bed, acute care, university-affiliated teaching hospital. Mercy has been recognized as a high-performing Maryland hospital (U.S. News & World Report); has achieved an overall 5-Star quality, safety, and patient experience rating (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services); is A-rated for Hospital Safety (Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade); and is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet™ hospital. Mercy Health Services is a not-for-profit health system and the parent company of Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Personal Physicians.
Media Contact
Dan Collins, Senior Director of Media Relations
Office: 410-332-9714
Cell: 410-375-7342
Email: dcollins@mdmercy.com