Lung cancer, in some of its forms, is specifically tied to smoking. Diseases that are tied specifically to products can open the opportunity for suing those companies for product liability if the consumer was not warned about the potential ultimate dangers. Lung cancer in particular has long been associated with smoking cigarettes and long term exposure to second hand smoke.
There are to main types of lung cancer including small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is much more common and is more curable than SCLC if it is found at an early stage. The types of lung cancer most closely associated with smoking are found within both types of lung cancer and it is known that incidences of these diseases could be seriously decreased if people stopped smoking cigarettes.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma is a type of non-small cell lung cancer that occurs frequently in both sexes and in older people. It is strongly associated with smoking cigarettes and it tends to be localized in the chest and to stay there, making it easier to treat than other types of lung cancer that spread more quickly. Squamous cell lung cancer makes up about 35% of the lung cancer cases in the US and is a smoking related lung cancer.
Adenocarcinoma is commonly associated with secondary smoke inhalation, although it is not exclusively tied to it because it frequently appears in non-smokers. It is the most common lung cancer, making up about 40% of lung cancer cases in America and it is also the most frequent lung cancer in women and a second hand smoke lung cancer.
Small cell lung cancer represents only about 20% of all lung cancers and it is more aggressive and spreads more quickly then other types of lung cancer. It is most commonly found in smokers or former smokers and although it responds to chemotherapy, it has usually spread to the lymph nodes or to other organs by the time it has been diagnosed. This is definitely a smoking related lung cancer.
Three out the four major classifications of lung cancer are tied tightly to smoking cigarettes and to secondary smoke inhalation. This is why tobacco lawsuits are so common and why the United States has spent so much money on state specific and federal tobacco lawsuits to get reimbursed for smoking related illnesses being treated with Medicaid and other governmental funding. Millions of Americans were fooled by inaccurate marketing of cigarettes although the tobacco companies were aware of the dangers of smoking.
If you have lung cancer and are a smoker of a former smoker, you may have a viable claim against a tobacco company under product liability laws. You should contact an experienced product liability attorney or a tobacco lawsuit attorney to find out if you have a claim. Historically, cigarette and tobacco lawsuits do not do well under class action certification because every victim has a different result or illness. This means that as long as you meet the requirement for a tobacco lawsuit and your statute of limitations has not expired, you may have the opportunity for compensation and redress.