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In the U.S., lung cancer is the second most common cancer occurring in both men and women. Lung cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the lung divide without control. Sometimes the cancer cells quickly invade nearby tissue and spread through the blood and lymph system to other parts of the body. Doctors sometimes recommend surgery to remove lung tumors before they spread or to see whether the cancer has already spread to lymph nodes in the chest. In fact, surgery is the treatment of choice for most early tumors. Doctors have heard that some patients worry that if lung cancer is exposed to air during surgery, the cancer will spread. African Americans have surgery for early lung cancer less often than do white people. They also have lower survival rates. No scientific evidence shows that air exposure affects lung cancer spread. However, if this belief is common among African Americans, it may explain why they have surgery less often than do white people.