A Virtual Look at How Lung Cancer Develops

NARRATOR: This is a virtual reality-enabled video. Use your mouse if you're on a computer, or a finger

if you're on your phone, to move around. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Almost 40% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime.

Cancer begins when cells stop following the body's rules and grow out of control.

Cancer can develop in almost any part of the body, and the lungs are no exception.

Normally, our lungs work hard to keep us alive, and we breathe without even thinking about it.

With each breath, air enters the nose and mouth, rushes into the trachea, and fills up each lung

through thousands of tiny branch-like passageways. Lungs are the only place where blood

can drop off carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen to deliver it to the rest of the body.

But as powerful as these organs are, even they can't hide from cancer. In fact, lung cancer is the second most common cancer

in both men and women. And it's estimated that close to a quarter million Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer

this year. At least 80% of all lung cancers are non-small cell lung

cancers. Non-small cell lung cancer primarily affects former and current smokers,

but can affect nonsmokers as well. Some symptoms to watch for include a nagging or intense cough that persists for more than several

weeks, or coughing up blood. While diagnoses, causes, and risk factors

may be similar for all types of lung cancer, treatments and outlooks may vary.

Without medical intervention, the cancer can metastasize-- or spread-- to other parts of the body.

There is hope. In fact, there have been several major advances in the treatment of cancer.