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Lung Cancer
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Lung cancer occurs when various types of cells in the lung grow out of control and form masses in the lung tissue. It is the leading cause of deaths from cancer in the US, in women and men both. In fact, more people die from lung cancer than those with colon, ovarian, prostate, lymph node and breast cancers combined. Smokers or past smokers have the greatest chance of getting lung cancer. It is worse if you smoke a long time and a large number of cigarettes. Quitting smoking will reduce your chance of getting lung cancer.
There are few symptoms of lung cancer in the early stages. The main signs and symptoms occur with advanced cases of the disease. These include a cough that doesn't disappear over time, worsening chronic cough, shortness of breath, coughing blood, wheezing, pain in the chest, a hoarse voice and weight loss.
There are two major types of lung cancer: these are small cell cancer and non-small cell cancer. They are divided that way because of the way they look under the microscope. Small cell cancer is almost exclusively found in smokers but is overall less common than non-small cell lung cancer. There are several types of lung cancer that fall under the realm of non-small cell cancer. These are squamous cell cancer, adenocarcinoma and large cell cancer.
Your risk factors of lung cancer include having a smoking history, being exposed to secondhand smoke, being exposed to asbestos, arsenic, tar, nickel and chromium, exposure to radon gas, drinking alcohol excessively, having COPD or other lung disease and having a family history of lung disease.
Doctors can test for lung cancer using a chest X-ray, MRI scan or CT scan of the lungs. The chest X-ray is a good screening test for lung cancer, while the MRI and CT scans can help define the cancer further. Screening for lung cancer is something that people feel is controversial. So far, there are no recommendations for mass screening of people for lung cancer using an X-ray or CT scan. Other people believe that screening for lung cancer should be done for smokers only.
Other ways to screen for lung cancer include sputum testing, which may reveal cancer cells in the sputum. A biopsy of the lesion is necessary using bronchoscopy or mediastinoscopy or open lung biopsy. This helps define the cancer and can help decide what kinds of treatment work best.
Doctors stage cancer depending on the cancer size and the places where the cancer has spread. Staging helps doctors determine which kind of treatment is best for your type of cancer. In stage I cancer, the cancer has not invaded lymph nodes and is localized to one area of the lung. Stage II cancer means that neighboring lymph nodes are involved in cancer. Stage IIIA cancer, the cancer has spread to more distant lymph nodes, such as those in the center of the lung area. Stage IIIB means the cancer has spread to the heart, trachea, esophagus or blood vessels within the lung or rib cage. Stage IV lung cancer involves spread of cancer to distant body areas. These include the liver, brain or bones.
Cancer treatment involves things like surgery to remove the cancerous area, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy or radiation therapy. In non small cell cancer, treatment involves surgery and chemotherapy and/or radiation in stages I and II. In stage III cancer, there is often chemotherapy and radiation but not surgery, as it hasn't been found to help. In stage IV cancer, treatment includes chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy and supportive care measures. The survival rate for this stage of cancer is not very good. Chemotherapy is a big part of small cell cancer therapy because, in some people, the chemotherapy clears the cancer completely.
Surgery of lung cancer can be as simple as a wedge resection or can involve a segmental resection, a lobectomy and a pneumonectomy or removal of the entire lung. Lung cancer surgery is risky surgery as much of the lung is taken out during the surgery. It means that there is less lung to breathe by so you'll feel short of breath.
Chemotherapy is directed at killing cancer cells. In lung cancer, one or more chemotherapy drugs can be used to kill the cancer. Radiotherapy can involve external beam radiation or the application of radioactive substances in the body that gets closer to the cancer. Targeted drug therapy is a newer form of cancer treatment that stops the growth of lung cancer cells.