What are the chances of getting lung cancer after 30 years of being smoke free?

Question: My father is 80 and has not smoked for 30 years. He was just diagnosed with Small Cell lung cancer and will be undergoing an aggressive chemo/radiation therapy. Can an individual get lung cancer after not smoking for 30 years or do you think there is another variable causing the cancer?

Answers:
My friend just went through this with his mom. She was diagosed with small cell lung cancer after quitting smoking for 18 years. The doctors explained that just because you quit smoking does not mean you will never get cancer. It still can happen!

Other Answers:
of course they can, but after 30 year the risk is almost the same as that of a non-smoker so his cancer is likely to be from second hand smoke of someone else or from other causes.
good luck to your father.

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Radon gas exposure might also be a contributing factor.

http://www.epa.gov/radon/radonqa1.html

If it was my father in this situation I'd want to make sure and closely access the risk vs benefit ratio of his doing aggressive radiation and chemotherapy therapy. good luck

http://www.mednet.gr/pneumon/pdf/16-3-8e.pdf

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_34404.html

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