Lung
Cancer: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment And More
Lung Cancer
WHAT IS LUNG
CANCER?
Smoking is still the most important risk factor for developing lung cancer, and is responsible for no less than 85 to 90% of all lung cancer cases; about 10% is caused by asbestos.
Other issues such as exposure to arsenic, chromium or nickel (often in certain professional activities) or radiation are also proven factors that can increase the chance of developing lung cancer. Hereditary predisposition also plays a role in the development of lung cancer: 10 to 15% of lung cancer cases occur in people who have never smoked.
HOW OFTEN IS IT?
Lung cancer is the most common malignant disorder in Belgian men, and is in third place among women. As long as smoking is not completely banned from society, scientists expect that lung cancer will remain one of the most common cancers.
HOW CAN YOU RECOGNIZE IT?
If you are a smoker and older than 40, you are more likely to get lung cancer.
The most important signs that can indicate lung cancer are:
- a (modified) cough,
- coughing up (strings of) blood,
- pain (whether or not in the chest region),
- shortness of breath,
- decreased appetite and weight loss,
- enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or armpit area (usually hard, painless swellings).
HOW DOES YOUR DOCTOR DETERMINE THE CONDITION?
Sometimes the story of the person is a reason for the doctor to take further steps. But the disease can also be discovered by accident during a radiological examination.Your doctor will in any case (and certainly if you are a (former) smoker and over the age of 40) request an urgent lung photo if you cough up blood or if you have suffered from one of the following signs for more than 3 weeks: cough, pain at the height of the chest or shoulders, shortness of breath or tightness, hoarseness, hardened swellings in the neck or neck, weight loss or drumstick fingers (widened fingertips).
A standard lung photo is the first and most important examination. A normal lung photo does not provide sufficient certainty in some cases. That is why the doctor may suggest that you be examined further. This is the case, for example, when he suspects lung cancer (in smokers with serious symptoms or suspicious signs).
Additional examinations can be: a CT scan, a PET scan or a bronchoscopy:
- a CT scan makes a section of the chest and visualizes the tissues in more detail than a normal lung photo. You often get a (contrast) substance injected to get even better images.
- the PET scan is sometimes used additionally to get a picture of the areas where there is a suspected injury. For this scan, a radioactive substance is injected in advance to make the images.
- A bronchoscopy is an examination in which the airways are viewed through a tube with a small camera. Sometimes it is necessary to remove a piece of lung tissue during this examination that is further examined under the microscope (biopsy).
See also: Seven Real Symptoms and Causes of High Blood Pressure
Importance of Early Diagnosis
Early diagnosis of lung cancer can be life-saving. The reason is that the lung cancer cells can travel to other areas of the body before a doctor detects them in the lungs. If it has spread or metastasis has occurred, it makes the disease more difficult to treat.Occasionally, doctors will advise a person to undergo a lung cancer test. This is done using a low-dose CT scanner. Not everyone is a candidate for this screening, but it may help doctors identify lung cancer first.
According to the American Lung Association, people who may be candidates for lung cancer screening are:
- Are between 55 and 80 years of age
- Smoking has a 30-pack-year history, meaning they smoke one pack per day for 30 years or two packs per day for 15 years
- Is a current smoker or smoker who has quit within the last 15 years
WHAT CAN YOU DO YOURSELF?
If you are a smoker, then quitting smoking is the most important advice. If you do not smoke yourself, avoid breathing air for smokers as much as possible. Because passive smoking is also a risk factor for developing lung cancer.Protect yourself against exposure to asbestos and other substances such as arsenic, chromium or nickel.
Consult your doctor if you (especially if you are a smoker) notice that you are losing weight, you are generally tired, sick or unwell, cough up blood or regularly have pneumonia. An early diagnosis of lung cancer is extremely important to increase the chances of success of the treatment (and the survival).
Stages of Lung Cancer
Cancer staging indicates how far it has spread in the body and how severe it is. This classification helps clinicians to direct and support the treatment for best results.Each stage determines whether the cancer has spread or not, or has spread to nearby lymph nodes. It can also take into account the number and size of tumors.
The lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system, which connects to the rest of the body. If cancer reaches these cancers, it can metastasize or spread more, becoming more and more dangerous.
The staging of lung cancer is
extremely complex and extensive with several subgroups in each stage.
Initially, it
is divided into small cell and non-small
cell classifications.
The
definitions of stages may vary, but doctors generally organize non-small cell
lung cancer using tumor size and spread to guide them as follows:
Occult or
hidden: cancer does not appear on scanned images, but cancer cells can appear
in phlegm or mucus and reach other parts of the body.
Stage O:The
doctor finds abnormal cells only in the upper layers of the cells lining the
airways.
Stage I: A
tumor has developed in the lungs but is less than 5 cm (cm) in size and has not
spread to other parts of the body.
Stage II: The
tumor is less than 5 cm in size and may have spread to the lymph nodes in the
lung region or less than 7 cm and extend to adjacent tissues but not to the
lymph nodes.
Stage III:
The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and reached other parts of the lung
and the surrounding area.
Stage IV: The
cancer has spread to distant body parts, such as bones or the brain.
Small cell
lung cancer has its own limited and extensive categories, indicating whether
the cancer has spread inside or outside the lungs.
WHAT CAN YOUR DOCTOR DO
Treatment
If lung cancer was diagnosed, the choice of treatment depends on a number of factors, such as the type of cancer (the most common of which is the small cell and non-small cell), the extent of the cancer (is it only limited to the lung itself or is the cancer in the glands or other organs) and the state of health of the patient.Depending on this, it can be decided to surgically remove the lung cancer, give chemotherapy or give radiation therapy (radiation). Sometimes a combination of these treatments is also suggested.
With some other cancers, it is possible to diagnose or follow the evolution of the cancer by determining a specific substance in the blood. But that is not the case with lung cancer.
Conclusion
Lung cancer is a serious and life-threatening condition that affects a person's ability to breathe.However, early detection of people at high risk for lung cancer can help them receive treatment at an earlier stage and easier to treat. The size and spread of cancer determine the outlook.
Treatment options include surgery to remove sections or the entire lung, chemotherapy and radiation, as well as targeted pharmacotherapy.
If someone is worried about being at risk for lung cancer, they should talk to their doctor.
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