A survey of 31,135 men who were members of the Teamsters Union indicated that trucking industry workers showed an elevated risk of lung cancer with increasing years of work, according to information from the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

The country with the greatest cigarette consumption — 3,000 cigarettes per person in 2007 — might surprise you. Hint: It’s not the U.S., France or China. Read ahead to see how ten countries ranked, according to a 2007 survey conducted by ERC, a market-research company, as reported by ‘The Economist.’

There is no cure for advanced lung cancer. Patients usually die within a year of being diagnosed. But there could be some hope on the horizon. A San Diego biotech company has developed a vaccine it hopes will extend the lives of lung cancer patients. The vaccine has shown promise in early tests. It’s now in the final phase of clinical trials. KPBS Health Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.

 Tobacco is lurking behind the stats. As the Associated Press explains, much of the increase in cancer is in developing countries, especially China and India, where 40% of the world’s smokers live. The AP also notes the world’s population is growing, meaning there will be more people to get cancer. Rates of cancer in the U.S. fell recently, largely on a decline in smoking among men.

Trucking company workers who have been regularly exposed to diesel exhaust from vehicles on highways, city streets and loading docks have a higher risk of lung cancer than other workers, according to a new national study.

Canada’s Inuit population has the highest rates of lung cancer in the world, new research has found.Although Inuit once had a low incidence of lung cancer, they are succumbing to this modern scourge as more of them take smoking.

A chest X-ray is often the first diagnostic test that will be ordered to look for masses or spots on the lungs. If something suspicious is seen, other tests may be necessary. One of these tests is a CT or CAT scan.The CT scan is a special type of X-ray that produces detailed cross-section images of the body. Instead of taking one image, like a regular X-ray does, a CT scanner takes many pictures as it rotates around the person while he or she lies on a table.

After surviving lung cancer for 22 years, Dona Dudgeon slipped and fell, collapsed a lung, and because of that accident discovered her cancer had returned.

Shirley Bergman, a 40-year survivor of several different kinds of cancer, has had a good portion of her jaw and neck removed. The last time she was in the hospital, not all that long ago, her friends at the Peitz Cancer Support House called her and passed the phone around. “They are my family,” Bergman said. “You couldn’t go to any better place to forget your troubles.”

Rep. Bob Nakasone, a Democrat from Kahului-Paia, who won re-election in November, has died after a long bout with lung cancer. He was 68.