(ABC 6 News) — Mayo Clinic is raising awareness for the leading cause of death among smokers: lung cancer.

While 10-15% of lung cancer patients are non-smokers, your risk of getting the disease if you did smoke even if you have since quit.

“Even if you were a former cigarette smoker, the risk is still there and remains higher than the general non-smoking population,” said Bobby Anderson, a nurse practitioner at Mayo Clinic.

Anderson says the best detection is an annual CT scan of your chest, and theses scans should start around your 50th birthday.

If you are worried you might be at risk for lung cancer, you should speak with your doctor. If it is caught earlier, lung cancer is treatable.