Lung Injury FAQs

Lung cancer is cancer that starts in the lungs. When a person has lung cancer, they have abnormal cells that cluster together to form a tumor. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells grow uncontrolled, destroying healthy lung tissue. 

There are two main types of lung cancer – small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Non-small cell lung cancer is more common than small-cell lung cancer.

The most common risk factors or causes of lung cancer are:

• Smoking
• Secondhand smoke
• Radon exposure
• Toxic substances (abestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust, and some forms of silica and chromium)
• Radiation exposure
• Personal or family history of lung cancer

Lung cancer symptoms may include:

• Coughing with so intensity that gets worse or doesn’t go away
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Coughing up blood
• Feeling very tired all the time
• Weight loss with no known cause

The terminology for staging lung cancer may vary, but a general idea of staging includes:

• Stage 1: Cancer is found in the lung, but it has not spread outside the lung.
• Stage 2: Cancer is found in the lung and nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage 3: Cancer is in the lung and lymph nodes in the middle of the chest.
• Stage 3A: Cancer is found in lymph nodes, but only on the same side of the chest where cancer first started growing.
• Stage 3B: Cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest or to lymph nodes above the collarbone.
• Stage 4: Cancer has spread to both lungs, into the area around the lungs, or to distant organs.

The symptoms of lung cancer are the same for smokers and nonsmokers. Some people have general symptoms of not feeling well (malaise) or intense fatigue. Some people cough frequently, cough up blood, or have chest pain, wheezing, or shortness of breath.

Metastatic lung cancer means that the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body. This is a serious situation that requires immediate medical intervention.

The average five year survival rate of lung cancer is 18.1%. The ten year survival rate is around 7%. Remember that this is an average and does not mean that this is your survival rate or prognosis. 

There are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer:

• Don’t smoke: The most important thing you can do to prevent lung cancer is to not smoke tobacco products, or quit if you do smoke. That includes cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.
• Avoid secondhand smoke: Smoke from other people’s cigarettes, cigars, or pipes is called secondhand smoke. It is as toxic as smoking itself. 
• Get your home tested for radon: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that all homes be tested for radon.
• Be careful at work: Health and safety guidelines in the workplace can help workers avoid carcinogens (things that cause cancer) or other toxic substances. 

You should consider being screened for lung cancer if you smoke now or have quit within the past 10 years, are between 55 and 80 years old, have symptoms associated with lung cancer. 

The difference in lung cancer between people who have a history of smoking and those who don’t is the type of lung cancer that develops. About 50% to 60% of lung cancers found in people who never smoked are adenocarcinomas (cancer that begins in the cells that line the lung’s tiny air sacs and make substances such as mucus). About 10% to 20% are squamous cell carcinomas (cancer that forms in the thin, flat cells lining the inside of the lungs). A few (6% to 8%) are small cell lung cancers, and the rest are other types of lung cancer.

To diagnose lung cancer, your doctor will order tests to find out if there are cancerous cells. These tests may include imaging (CT, MRI or X-rays), mucus tests, or biopsies to examine lung tissue. These tests will show if lung cancer is present, and if it has spread through the lungs, lymph nodes, or other parts of the body.

Lung cancer treatment depends on the type of cancer, whether it has spread, and other factors related to your health. Common types of treatment include:

• Surgery to remove cancer tissue.
• Chemotherapy, which uses special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins, or sometimes both.
• Radiation therapy, which uses high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill the cancer.
• Targeted therapy, which uses drugs to block the growth and spread of cancer cells. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins.

Finding the best treatment for you depends on your health and diagnosis. Talk to your cancer doctor about your treatment options and possible side effects.  Your doctor can explain the risks and benefits of each treatment and their side effects. 

Finding lung cancer early and initiating treatment quickly is the best way to improve your prognosis and quality of life. Talk with your cancer doctor about how a survivorship care plan can help you coordinate your follow-up care to support your physical and emotional health during and after treatment. 

Communities – lawmakers and advocates – can help people lower their risk of lung cancer by doing the following:

• Reduce minors’ access to tobacco products and e-cigarettes
• Help people quit using tobacco products
• Help people avoid secondhand smoke
• Reduce people’s exposure to radon
• Encourage people to be screened for lung cancer as recommended

As with many other cancers, a key to surviving lung cancer is catching it in its earliest stages. The reason is because the cancer is most treatable. For patients who have small, early-stage lung cancer, the cure rate can be as high as 80% to 90%.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the thin layer of tissue – the mesothelium – that covers many of the internal organs. It most often develops in the mesothelium surrounding the lungs. 

Mesothelioma can develop in several parts of the body. When it develops in the lungs (which is most common), it is called pleural mesothelioma. If it develops around the organs in the abdomen it is called peritoneal mesothelioma. If it develops in the tissues around the heart, it is called pericardial mesothelioma. 

There are also rare cases of mesothelioma developing in the testicles, which is called mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis. 

The most common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are:

• Chest pain
• Painful coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on your chest
• Unexplained weight loss

The most common symptoms associated with peritoneal mesothelioma are:

• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal swelling
• Nausea
• Unexplained weight loss

The most common symptoms associated with pericardial mesothelioma are:

• Difficulty breathing
• Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
• Murmurs
• Cough
• Shortness of breath when lying flat
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Night sweats

Asbestos is a tightly-wound group of mineral fibers that are found in soil and rocks. The fibers are strong, lightweight and extremely heat resistant. As a result, it is used in a lot of products, such as car parts and construction materials. It is known that the asbestos cause cancers and other diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Asbestos is the most common cause of mesothelioma.

Asbestosis is a serious lung condition caused by exposure to asbestos. It can cause lung inflammation, coughing and chest tightness. Over time, it can develop into mesothelioma, lung cancer and heart disease.

In order to be diagnosed with mesothelioma, you will need a physical exam and medical history review. The doctor may order imaging scans, such as a chest X-ray and a computerized tomography (CT) scan of your chest or abdomen, to look for abnormalities. Based on those results, the doctor could determine whether mesothelioma or another disease is causing your symptoms.

The average five-year survival rate for patients with mesothelioma is 9%. The 10-year survival rate is 3%. These survival rates are from the time of diagnosis. Sadly, by the time mesothelioma is diagnosed, it has often already spread and become a serious condition. 

Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that grows/start in the mucus-producing glands that line the inside of the body’s organs.

The exact causes of adenocarcinoma are not well understood. However, doctors believe that there are several risk factors that increase the risk of developing adenocarcinoma. These risk factors include:

• Smoking
• Secondhand smoke
• Radon
• Diesel exhaust
• Pollutants
• Chemical exposure

Adenocarcinoma occurs most often in the lungs, but it can develop in any of the following:

• Colon
• Pancreas
• Breast
• Esophagus
• Prostate
• Lungs

In order to diagnose adenocarcinoma, your doctor will need to examine you physically to see if there are signs of swelling or a growth. Next, he or she may order a biopsy, CT scan and MRI, to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment options for adenocarcinoma may include one or a combination of the following:

• Surgery: Surgery can remove cancerous glandular tissue, as well as surrounding tissue that is affected.
• Radiation Therapy: Doctors use targeted radiation to kill your cancer cells.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy medication can be effective in killing adenocarcinoma cells and stopping them from spreading. 

Adenocarcinoma may be curable if doctors find the cancerous cells early and remove or kill them completely.

As with other similar cancers, doctors often use a 0–4 staging system:

• Stages 0-3 indicates that there are abnormal cells, but they have not spread to other parts of your body.
• Stage 4 cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

The average five-year survival rate is 67.5%. The 10-year survival rate is 63%. Remember that your prognosis depends on your cancer, your overall health and how well you respond to treatment. 

In addition to the cancer itself, adenocarcinoma can also cause complications that affect your health in different ways. Some of those complications include:

• Pneumonia
• Horner’s syndrome
• Breathing difficulties
• Pleural effusion

Silicosis is a lung disease that is caused by inhaling particles of crystalline silica dust. It often develops years or even decades after initial exposure. Currently, there is no cure for silicosis.

No, silicosis can not be cured. However, if silica exposure is avoided, the progression of the disease can be slowed down and symptoms can be managed.

It may take multiple tests to diagnose silicosis as there is no specific test for the disease. Job history and a history of exposure to silica dust is very important in order to determine the likelihood of silicosis.

From the time of diagnosis to death, the survivability rates are as follows:

• Stage 1 – 21.5 years
• Stage 2 – 15.8 years
• Stage 3 – 6.8 years

Around 25% of silicosis patients live beyond 33 years.

Crystalline silica is not the same thing as asbestos. They are both minerals that occur naturally, but they are very different. Crystalline silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite, cement and many types of rock. 

The symptoms of silicosis may be difficult to distinguish from symptoms of other medical conditions. Patients with silicosis often report the following: 

• Chronic, nagging cough
• Shortness of breath with exercise
• Weakness and fatigue
• Fever
• Breathing difficulty
• Weight loss
• Night sweats
• Chest pain
• Swollen legs
• Blue lips 

When crystalline silica is worked, cut, blasted, ground, etc. tiny particles of the dust become airborne. Workers who are not wearing masks or respirators can then inhale the particles, which become lodged in the lungs. These particles are easily inhaled, but the body cannot exhale them back out easily. Silica dust is the most common cause of silicosis. 

Safety officials have set the Personal Exposure Limit (PEL) of silica dust at 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an 8 hour shift. As silicosis is caused by repeated exposure to respirable crystalline silica, it makes sense that we would want to limit exposure as much as possible. Employers must monitor air quality in areas where silica dust may become airborne. They must also provide employees with personal protective equipment (PPE). 

The World Health Organization suggests that 30-50% of workers in high risk industries may have silicosis. Globally, airborne particles are responsible for as many as 386,000 deaths per year. 

https://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/newsletter/gohnet12e.pdf?ua=1

From 2001 to 2010, 1,437 people died from silicosis (silicosis was listed as the underlying cause of death). The annual number of silicosis deaths declined from 164 in 2001 to 101 (0.39 per 1 million) in 2010. Experts believe more than two million people are at risk for developing silicosis. 

Disposable filtering facepiece respirators (dust masks) will not protect the worker from crystalline silica dust. Effective engineering controls such as enclosed systems, local exhaust ventilation and wet methods should be used.

Crystalline silica occurs naturally in the environment. It is also an ingredient in many manufactured products, such as:

• Engineered (composite) stone
• Asphalt
• Cement
• Mortar and grout
• Concrete, concrete blocks and fiber cement products
• Brick
• Drywall and some plasterboards
• Pavers
• Roof tiles
  

Manufacturers and suppliers of silica-based products like blasting sand can be sued if their product did not meet minimal safety standards or was unreasonably unsafe. In addition, they could be responsible if they failed to adequately warn of the hazards of their product.

For claims where the condition has been relatively stable, damages can range from $150,000.00 to $400,000.00 and potentially higher depending on the circumstances of the case. The amount of compensation you may be able to obtain can only be estimated by a silicosis lawyer after a careful review of your claim. 

Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases the risk of tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system including rheumatoid arthritis.

By quitting smoking, you can:

• Lengthen your life expectancy.
• Decrease your risk of diseases like emphysema, heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers and reflux, erectile and sexual dysfunction and kidney disease.
• Decrease your risk of cancers, including lung cancer, throat cancer and esophageal cancer. 

On average, survey respondents believe that smoking can cause cancer only if the person smokes at least 19.4 cigarettes per day (for an average reported 5.5 cigarettes per day).  that cancer risk becomes high for a smoking duration of 16.9 years or more.

Within the first month after you quit smoking, your lung function will improve, and this will increase circulation, too. Within nine months, the cilia begin to function normally and symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath become less frequent.

The most common side effects of vaping include:

• Coughing
• Dry mouth and throat
• Shortness of breath
• Mouth and throat irritation
• Headaches

A growing body of evidence shows that smoking e-cigarettes, or vaping, may be even more dangerous than smoking cigarettes.

• Vaping has been linked to lung injury
• Rapid onset of coughing
• Breathing difficulties
• Weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea

E-cigarettes have been found to have chemicals and particles that have been linked experimentally to lung disease, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Vaping can also cause lung inflammation, which has been linked to chronic lung disease as well.

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, and the smoke exhaled out by the smoker.

Studies have shown that damage from secondhand smoke occurs in as little as five minutes. After five minutes, your arteries becomes less flexible, just like they do in a person who is smoking a cigarette.

The Surgeon General has concluded that the only way to fully protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of secondhand smoke is by living in a 100% smoke-free environment.

Secondhand smoke can stay in the air for several hours and can travel up to 20 feet.

Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Exposure to radon increases the risk of all types of lung cancer, but it is most commonly associated with small cell varieties. 

Radon is an inert, colorless gas that is emitted from the ground when uranium decays. The gas can be present in the air we breathe, entering our airways and damaging the inside of our lungs. This damage, like the damage caused by smoking, increases our risk of lung cancer.

Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds are classified as being carcinogenic to humans. This is based on sufficient evidence in humans that these compounds can cause lung cancer, bladder cancer and skin cancer.

The main cause of pulmonary fibrosis is exposure to toxins like asbestos, coal dust or silica dust (including in the coal mining and sandblasting industry). There are medications known to have a side effect of pulmonary fibrosis as well, such as amiodarone, bleomycin and nitrofurantoin.

The main symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are:

• Breathlessness
• A cough that doesn’t go away
• Fatigue

A chest X-ray may show scar tissue typical of pulmonary fibrosis, and it may be useful for monitoring the course of the illness and treatment. However, sometimes the chest X-ray may be normal, and further tests may be required to explain your shortness of breath.

Exercise is generally recommended for people with chronic lung disease including pulmonary fibrosis. Although exercise training will not improve your lung condition, it does improve cardiovascular conditioning and the ability of your muscles to use oxygen, which may decrease symptoms like shortness of breath.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and COPD are both chronic lung diseases that make it difficult for a person to breathe. However, these two diseases cause different kinds of damage to the lungs and have different causes. A history of smoking causes the majority of COPD cases.

The prognosis for pulmonary fibrosis varies depending on a person’s age, health, lifestyle and the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. It can be fatal in severe cases. 

Generally, household dust will not cause pulmonary fibrosis. In many cases, patients who develop pulmonary fibrosis were exposed to a wide variety of inorganic dust including asbestos, silica, coal dust, beryllium or hard metal dusts. In the case of environmental exposure, it is often related to organic dusts such as animal proteins, bacteria and molds.

Your lymph nodes can be enlarged or swollen for a number of reasons. Scarring in the lung caused by a prior infection, fungus, pneumonia, or tuberculosis and sarcoidosis can cause the formation of a unique type of scar called a granuloma. This can cause the lymph nodes to swell. Also, scarring in the lung due to inhaling highly irritating substances such asbestos, coal dust or tobacco smoke can cause the lymph nodes to respond, which can cause swelling.

The early symptoms of lung cancer may be a slight cough or shortness of breath. As the cancer develops, these symptoms may become more severe or intense. Like many other types of cancer, lung cancer may also cause systemic symptoms, like loss of appetite or general fatigue.

If lung cancer grows and spreads, it can put pressure on the bones that make up the spine and the spinal cord. This can lead to pain in your neck or upper, middle or lower back. The pain may also spread to your arms, buttocks or legs.

Patients can (and usually do) live with lung cancer for many years before it becomes apparent. Early lung cancer is largely asymptomatic and internalization of tumors means patients are not alerted by obvious physical changes.

Pleural mesothelioma (mesothelioma in the lungs) is usually not particularly painful. Any pain is generally dull or achy. 

The life expectancy for mesothelioma patients is approximately 12 to 16 months. Pleural mesothelioma patients can live 19 to 21 months depending on the stage of cancer at diagnosis. Remember that most cases of mesothelioma are not diagnosed until the cancer has progressed. Early diagnosis and intervention may extend life expectancy and your prognosis. 

It can take up to 20 years after asbestos exposure for asbestosis to develop and for symptoms to become noticeable. Often, by the time symptoms develop, the patient already has significant lung damage and/or mesothelioma. 

Symptoms of silicosis usually appear after many years of exposure. In early stages, symptoms are mild and include cough, sputum and progressive shortness of breath. As the disease progresses, the first real signs of a problem may be an abnormal chest X-ray and a slowly developing cough.

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill cancer cells in your body. Chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer because cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body. Chemotherapy targets these abnormal or out of control cells. Many different chemotherapy drugs are available.

Some chemotherapy drugs can cause painful side effects, such as aching muscles and joints, headaches and stomach pains. Pain may be felt as burning, numbness, tingling or shooting pains in the hands and feet (called peripheral nerve damage).

A course of chemotherapy usually takes between 3 to 6 months, although it can be more or less than that. Ultimately, the duration will depend on your cancer, the severity, and how you respond to treatment. The treatment will include one or more chemotherapy drugs. You may have the chemotherapy into a vein (intravenous drugs), or as tablets or capsules. 

Delayed nausea and vomiting usually starts more than 24 hours after treatment and can last up to a few days after treatment ends. It’s more likely with certain types of chemo.

You may need four to eight cycles to treat your cancer. A series of cycles is called a course. Your course can take 3 to 6 months to complete and you may need more than one course of chemo to beat the cancer.

The day after your first treatment you may feel tired or very fatigued. Plan on resting, as this gives your body the chance to respond to the chemotherapy and begin the recovery cycle. Remember that chemo affects every cell in your body. Stay well-hydrated by drinking lots of water or juice.

Depending on the drug and type of cancer it treats, the average monthly cost of chemo drugs can range from $1,000 to $12,000. If a cancer patient requires four chemo sessions a year, it could cost them up to $48,000 total, which is beyond the average annual income.

Hair loss is a very common side effect of chemo. Your hair loss may continue throughout your treatment and up to a few weeks afterward. Whether your hair thins or you become completely bald will depend on your treatment. People with cancer report hair loss as a distressing side effect of treatment.

Some people with cancer are able to continue their normal routine, including going to work, while they’re still in treatment. Others find that they need more rest or just feel too sick and cannot do as much. If you can work during treatment, you might find that it helps you feel more like yourself.

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radiation therapy targets tumors or cancerous cells, either through external rays, or through internal capsules. 

The most common side effects reported after radiation therapy include: 

• Fatigue
• Hair loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Skin changes
• Headache
• Blurry vision

Radiation does not hurt, sting, or burn when it enters the body. You will hear clicking or buzzing throughout the treatment and there may be a smell from the machine. Generally, however, you will not experience discomfort from the treatment itself. 

Most radiation treatment side effects generally go away within a few weeks to 2 months of finishing treatment. But some side effects may continue after treatment is over because it takes time for healthy cells to recover from the effects of radiation therapy.

The most common early side effects are fatigue (feeling tired) and skin changes. Other early side effects usually are related to the area being treated, such as hair loss. 

Some ways that you can prepare for radiation treatment and ensure the most successful outcome include:

• If you smoke, try to quit or cut down before radiation therapy starts as smoking may make the treatment less effective and side effects worse.
• Explore ways to relax.
• Organize help at home in case you are fatigued.
• Arrange transportation to and from your treatment.
• Mention metal implants to your doctor before you begin treatment.
• Discuss your concerns.

When it comes to early stages of disease, patients very frequently do well with either brachytherapy or external beam radiation. Success rates of around 90% or higher can be achieved with either approach.

Usually it is fine to have small or moderate amounts of alcohol during your treatment. But alcohol can inflame a sore mouth or throat if you are having radiotherapy to your head or neck area. It can also irritate your bladder if you are having pelvic radiotherapy.

The cost of radiation therapy is estimated from Medicare reimbursements. The median cost for a single course of radiation per patient is:

• $8600 (interquartile range [IQR], $7300 to $10300) for breast cancer
• $9000 (IQR, $7500 to $11,100) for lung cancer
• $18,000 (IQR, $11,300 to $25,500) for prostate cancer

Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack certain types of cancer cells. Targeted therapy can be used by itself or in combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, surgery or radiation.

The drugs prescribed in targeted therapy are often prohibitively expensive. The monthly average cost of these drugs are $5,000 to $10,000. Annual totals over $100,000 are common. 

Long-term use of some targeted and hormonal therapies may lead to hair thinning, bald patches or complete hair loss. It largely depends on the drug. 

Some targeted therapies are given as an infusion. Intravenous (IV) drugs can be administered right into your bloodstream through a tiny, soft, plastic tube called a catheter. Other targeted therapy drugs can be administered orally via a pill. 

Some types of cancerous cells and tumors can be removed surgically. Surgeons may remove the tumor and nearby tissue that is affected. A doctor who treats cancer with surgery is called a surgical oncologist. 

For many types of cancerous (malignant) tumors, surgery is the best chance for a cure, especially if the cancer is localized and hasn’t spread.

Yes, surgeons can remove a diseased lung and replace it with a healthy lung from another person, called a donor. The surgery may be done for one lung or for both. Lung transplants can be done on people of almost all ages from newborns to adults up to age 65 and sometimes even later.

It is the most difficult transplant to do because it is very hard to find three good organs from one donor. Usually you have to wait at least twice as long for a heart-lung transplant as you do for a double lung transplant.

There are several absolute contraindications that can result in a patient being denied a lung transplant. Some of these situations include:

• The patient has HIV
• Bone marrow failure
• Liver cirrhosis
• Active hepatitis B infection

The average cost of lung transplantation is $135,622. 

Bronchopulmonary lavage, also called whole lung lavage, is a procedure done under general anesthesia. The doctor inserts a double lumen endotracheal tube into the lung, and saline is deposited to fill the entire volume of one lung. This, essentially, washes out the entire lung. 

Oxygen therapy may be prescribed for many reasons. People with COPD, lung disease, pneumonia, asthma, heart failure, sleep apnea, cystic fibrosis or other chronic lung conditions or respiratory trauma may need oxygen therapy. Providing assistance with oxygen supply helps the lungs better absorb the oxygen their bodies need.

Oxygen therapy is not always covered by insurance. The cost per treatment generally ranges from $250 to $450 depending on the location of services.

There’s no particular diet that can cure or treat cancer. There’s also no good research that shows that any eating plan, like a vegetarian diet, for example, can lower the chance of cancer coming back. Your best bet is to stick with a balanced diet with lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.

Drink beverages that contain calories, such as fruit juice, lemonade, fruit-flavored drinks, malts, floats, soda, cocoa, milkshakes, smoothies and eggnog. Nutritional supplement drinks are convenient options.

Cancer itself can cause a loss of appetite. If a tumor is in or around parts of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it might interfere with the intake of food , may cause trouble swallowing, or make a person feel full without even eating.

The exact cost of your medical care depends on your injury, your health insurance and other factors. The average cost of cancer treatment, for example, is around $150,000. You may find it helpful to get professional help managing finances so you can plan ahead and get a reasonable estimate of your out-of-pocket costs.