What is Lung Cancer..?

Lung Cancer

Lung cancer and smoking often, but not always, go hand in hand. As lung cancer stages advance, lung cancer symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and bloody mucus. Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation.

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Stages of lung cancer

Cancer stages tell how far the cancer has spread and help guide treatment. The chance of successful or curative treatment is much higher when lung cancer is diagnosed and treated in the early stages, before it spreads. Because lung cancer doesn’t cause obvious symptoms in the earlier stages, diagnosis often comes after it has spread.

Non-small cell lung cancer has four main stages:

·       Stage 1: Cancer is found in the lung, but it has not spread outside the lung.

·       Stage 2: Cancer is found in the lung and nearby lymph nodes.

·       Stage 3: Cancer is in the lung and lymph nodes in the middle of the chest.

·       Stage 3A: Cancer is found in lymph nodes, but only on the same side of the chest where cancer first started growing.

·       Stage 3B: Cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest or to lymph nodes above the collarbone.

·       Stage 4: Cancer has spread to both lungs, into the area around the lungs, or to distant organs.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has two main stages. In the limited stage, cancer is found in only one lung or nearby lymph nodes on the same side of the chest.

The extensive stage means cancer has spread:

·       throughout one lung

·       to the opposite lung

·       to lymph nodes on the opposite side

·       to fluid around the lung

·       to bone marrow

·       to distant organs

At the time of diagnosis, 2 out of 3 people with SCLC are already in the extensive stage.

What causes lung cancer?

Anyone can get lung cancer, but 90 percent of lung cancer cases are the result of smoking.

From the moment you inhale smoke into your lungs, it starts damaging your lung tissue. The lungs can repair the damage, but continued exposure to smoke makes it increasingly difficult for the lungs to keep up the repair. Once cells are damaged, they begin to behave abnormally, increasing the likelihood of developing lung cancer. Small-cell lung cancer is almost always associated with heavy smoking. When you stop smoking, you lower your risk of lung cancer over time.

Exposure to radon, a naturally existing radioactive gas, is the second leading cause, according to the American Lung Association.

Radon enters buildings through small cracks in the foundation. Smokers who are also exposed to radon have a very high risk of lung cancer.

Breathing in other hazardous substances, especially over a long period of time, can also cause lung cancer. A type of lung cancer called mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos.

Other substances that can cause lung cancer are:

·       arsenic

·       cadmium

·       chromium

·       nickel

·       some petroleum products

·       uranium

Inherited genetic mutations may make you more likely to develop lung cancer, especially if you smoke or are exposed to other carcinogens.

Sometimes, there’s no obvious cause for lung cancer.