Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that may start off one or both lungs; usually in the cells that line the air passages. The abnormal cells don't develop into healthy lung tissue, they divide rapidly and form tumors. As tumors become larger and more numerous, they undermine the lung's ability to provide the bloodstream with oxygen. Tumors remain in one place and don't appear to spread are known as "benign tumors". Malignant tumors, the more dangerous ones, spread to other parts of the body either through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Metastasis refers to cancer spreading beyond its site of origin to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads it's too much harder to treat successfully.
The primary lung cancer originates in the lungs, while secondary lung cancer starts somewhere else in the body, metastasizes, and reaches the lungs. They are considered as different types of cancers and are not treated in a same way. According to WHO( World Health Organization), 7.6 million deaths globally each year are caused by cancer, cancer represents 13 percent of all global deaths. According to the National Cancer Institute, by the end of 2012 there will have been 226,160 new lung cancer diagnoses and 160,340 lung cancer related deaths in U.S.A.
Lung Cancer Facts
Causes of lung cancer
Smoking is the main risk factor for developing long cancer and is responsible for more than 80 percent of lung cancers. The longer you have smoked and the more you smoke, the more likely you are to get lung cancer. If you stop smoking before cancer cells develop, lung tissue that has been damaged by smoking will start to repair. An ex-smoker's risk will not be as low as that of a person who never smoked, but over time, their risk will go down. Cigar smoking and pipe smoking are almost as likely to cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking.
Even secondhand smoke, the kind inhaled from nearby smokers, can cause developing lung cancer. Non-smokers who are married to smokers have a 30 percent greater risk of lung cancer than spouses of non-smokers.
Living in an environment with high air pollution or working with radioactive minerals or asbestos can also increase the risk of cancer. Research helped us to understand how these risk factors produce certain changes in the DNA of lung cells. These changes cause the cells to grow abnormally and form cancers.
DNA is the genetic material that carries the instructions for nearly everything our cells do. Some genes (parts of our DNA) contain instruction for controlling when cells grow and divide. The risk factors discussed earlier can trigger changes, also called mutations, in these genes that result in cancer. A risk for some types of cancer (e.g. ovarian, colorectal, breast, and several others) can be inherited from parents. Inherited gene mutations are not though to be a cause of very many lung cancers.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer
It is important to report any unusual physical feeling to your doctor. Often, these unusual feelings can be attributed to other causes like bronchitis. But a doctor should check anything that is unusual or worrisome. The signs ans symptoms of lungs cancer can take years to develop and they may not appear until the disease is advanced.
Symptoms of lung cancer that are in chest:
Symptoms of lung cancer that may occur elsewhere in the body:
The primary lung cancer originates in the lungs, while secondary lung cancer starts somewhere else in the body, metastasizes, and reaches the lungs. They are considered as different types of cancers and are not treated in a same way. According to WHO( World Health Organization), 7.6 million deaths globally each year are caused by cancer, cancer represents 13 percent of all global deaths. According to the National Cancer Institute, by the end of 2012 there will have been 226,160 new lung cancer diagnoses and 160,340 lung cancer related deaths in U.S.A.
Lung Cancer Facts
- Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in U.S.A and worldwide.
- Passive exposure to tobacco smoke can cause lung cancer.
- Cigarette smoking is the principal risk factor for development of lung cancer.
- The two types of lung cancer, which grow and spread differently, are the small cell lung cancers(SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- The stage of lung cancer refers to the extent to which the cancer has spread in the body.
- Treatment of lung cancer can involve a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy and newer experimental methods.
- The general prognosis of lung cancer is poor, with overall survival rates of about 16 percent at five years.
- Smoking cessation is the most important measure that can prevent the development of lung cancer.
Causes of lung cancer
Smoking is the main risk factor for developing long cancer and is responsible for more than 80 percent of lung cancers. The longer you have smoked and the more you smoke, the more likely you are to get lung cancer. If you stop smoking before cancer cells develop, lung tissue that has been damaged by smoking will start to repair. An ex-smoker's risk will not be as low as that of a person who never smoked, but over time, their risk will go down. Cigar smoking and pipe smoking are almost as likely to cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking.
Even secondhand smoke, the kind inhaled from nearby smokers, can cause developing lung cancer. Non-smokers who are married to smokers have a 30 percent greater risk of lung cancer than spouses of non-smokers.
Living in an environment with high air pollution or working with radioactive minerals or asbestos can also increase the risk of cancer. Research helped us to understand how these risk factors produce certain changes in the DNA of lung cells. These changes cause the cells to grow abnormally and form cancers.
DNA is the genetic material that carries the instructions for nearly everything our cells do. Some genes (parts of our DNA) contain instruction for controlling when cells grow and divide. The risk factors discussed earlier can trigger changes, also called mutations, in these genes that result in cancer. A risk for some types of cancer (e.g. ovarian, colorectal, breast, and several others) can be inherited from parents. Inherited gene mutations are not though to be a cause of very many lung cancers.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer
It is important to report any unusual physical feeling to your doctor. Often, these unusual feelings can be attributed to other causes like bronchitis. But a doctor should check anything that is unusual or worrisome. The signs ans symptoms of lungs cancer can take years to develop and they may not appear until the disease is advanced.
Symptoms of lung cancer that are in chest:
- Pain in the chest, shoulder, or back unrelated to pain from coughing
- Coughing, especially if it persists or becomes intense
- A change in color or volume of sputum
- Shortness of breath
- Changes in voice
- Harsh sounds with each breath (stridor)
- Recurrent lung problems, such as pneumonia or bronchitis
- Coughing up phlegm or mucus, especially if it is tinged with blood
- Coughing up blood
Symptoms of lung cancer that may occur elsewhere in the body:
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle wasting
- Bone or joint pain, headaches
- Neck or facial swelling
- Bleeding
- Blood clots
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