Video: More nonsmokers getting lung cancer

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It was on a family vacation in Italy that Melissa Peterson first noticed the swollen lymph glands.

“I felt and I thought 'I wonder how long those have been there?'” she said.

The diagnosis was lung cancer. Melissa has never smoked.

"It was a huge shock. It was the most mind numbing, gut wrenching diagnosis I've ever had,” she said.

Dr. Jack West is seeing more patients like Melissa.

"It's up to 20-25 percent  of the people who come in to see me with lung cancer are actually never smokers...which is surprising to many of my colleagues , but really up and down the West Coast, it's a lot of what we see,” said Dr. Howard "Jack" West, Swedish Cancer Institute.

"There is this stigma attached because of the smoking, you know, which has been really frustrating because you know this could happen to any of us,” said Melissa.

She says searching the Internet was also frustrating. That's why Dr. West started an interactive Web site to give cancer patients free access to the latest information.

Melissa with her husband and daughter.

The trouble is these patients aren’t diagnosed until later stages and their cancer behaves differently.

"Some of the most aggressive cancers I've seen are in never smokers, but fortunately we also see a lot of patients who have very gratifying responses to the treatments we offer them,” said Dr. West.

So far Melissa is responding well to treatment. This was her last day of chemo. She says it's a roll of the dice but she remains optimistic.

"Hopefully I'll see my daughter graduate from high school,” she said.

Swedish Hospital, Virginia Mason and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance are teaming up for a lung cancer awareness forum Nov. 19 at Swedish Hospital. Registration is required. For more information, call 206-386-2502.