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LUNG CANCER

Cancer, Men's Health, Women's Health / By

LUNG CANCER

Lung cancer is a type of cancer arising from the lungs.

  • This type of cancer is marked by uncontrolled cell growth in the lung tissues.
  • The lungs are a pair of spongy organs on either side of the chest that takes in oxygen when you inhale and release carbon dioxide when we exhale.
  • They are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans.
  • Lung cancer is life-threatening cancer and one of the most difficult to treat as it tends to spread very early after it forms.
  • While lung cancer is able to spread to any organ in the body, however, the most common site for lung cancer metastasis are the brain, adrenal glands, and bones.
  • Cancer can also form in the lungs or spread from other area or parts of the body to the lung.
  • Lung cancer occurred in 1.8 million people and resulted in 1.6 million deaths worldwide in 2012.
  • This makes lung cancer the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women. It claims more lives each year than do colon, prostate, ovarian and breast cancers combined
  • Lung cancer is majorly a disease of the elderly with the most common age at diagnosis being 70 years.
  • Almost 70% of people diagnosed with lung cancer are over 65 years of age, while less than 3% of lung cancer occur in people under age 45.
  • The two general types of lung cancer are:
  • Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), this is the most common type and accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. NSCLC is a class of several types of lung cancers that behave in the same way. The most common types are the squamous cell carcinoma that begins in the cell that lines the passages of the respiratory tract, adenocarcinomas that form in the outer part of the lungs and large-cell carcinoma.
  • Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for about 15% of all lung cancers. This type grows and spreads faster than NSCLC.

CAUSES

The majority of lung cancers are caused by smoking. However, lung cancer can occur in people who never smoked and in those with prolonging exposure to smoking by either working or living with a smoker (passive smokers)

Smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells in the lungs. When cigarette which is full of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) is inhaled, it starts damaging the lung tissue. The lungs can repair the damage, but continuous exposure makes it difficult for the lung to keep up with the process of repair. Once the cells are damaged, they start to behave abnormally, increasing the risk of lung cancer.

Exposure to radon gas can also cause the condition.

Breathing other hazardous substances such as asbestos, uranium, arsenic, some petroleum products, and nickel over a long period of time.

Inherited factors may also be a causative agent

Risk factors may include:

  • The family history of lung cancer
  • Personal history of lung cancer
  • Previous radiation therapy to the chest

SYMPTOMS

  • Chest pain
  • Hoarseness
  • Bone pain
  • Unintended weight loss
  • Coughing up blood
  • a new cough that doesn’t go away
  • shortness of breath
  • weakness and fatigue

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT’

Your doctor may order a number of tests if there is any reason to think you have lung cancer:

  • Imaging tests such as X-ray or CT scan. To see if there is an abnormal mass in your lungs.
  • Sputum cytology, to check for cancer cell in phlegm for people who produce phlegm when they cough.
  • Biopsy, where a small sample of tissue is removed for laboratory testing.

The stages of the cancer are determined based on how far cancer has spread. This will help the doctor to determine the best treatment option. Tests such as chest X-ray, CT scan and bone scan can be used to determine your cancer stage.

Stage 1, cancer is confined to the lungs

Stage 2, cancer is present in the lungs and nearby lymph nodes

Stage 3, cancer is present in the lungs and lymph nodes of the chest

Stage 4, cancer has spread to both lungs, into the area around the lungs or to distant organs such as the liver. 

TREATMENT

The stage, your general health, and preference will determine the treatment option

Treatment option may include surgery to remove a small section of the lungs (wedge resection), to remove a larger portion of the lungs (segmental resection), to remove the entire lobe (lobectomy), to remove an entire lung (pneumonectomy)

Radiation therapy that uses powerful, energy beams such as X-rays to kill the cancer cell

Chemotherapy that involves using medication injected intravenously or taken orally to kill the cancer cell.

Immunotherapy for people with advanced lung cancers

Targeted drug therapy

Supportive care that aims to improve the quality of life for people with cancer and their families is helpful. If combined with all of the other treatments, people with cancer may live longer and feel better.