Facts About Lung Cancer

Our bodies are created with building blocks called cells. It's a well-known fact that cells grow, divide, and multiply to meet the needs of the body and keep it strong. Sometimes, these cells will divide when there is no need to multiply, and create a mass of extra cells known as a tumor or cancer. In the lungs, an unchecked, rapid growth of cells is known as lung cancer. This disease can be diagnosed in two forms: small cell lunch cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer has been categorized based upon the morphology of the cells as seen under a microscope. Each type of the lung cancer has its own method of treatment since they spread in different ways.

The most common form of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer, the type that slowly grows and spreads. In this class are large cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma, the three major types of non-small cell lung cancer.

Less common are the forms of small cell lung cancer. This form of cancer can quickly spread and may even affect different organs within the body. Another term used for this type of lung cancer is oat cell cancer.

Recently, lung cancer was recognized as the deadliest form of cancer in many developed nations. It's estimated that 170,000 people die from the disease each year in the United States. Changes within the lung can begin almost immediately upon exposure to carcinogens, but lung cancer can take years to develop.

Inhaling the carcinogens found in cigarette smoke is the main cause of the lung in smokers and non-smokers alike. When there is an environmental exposure to radon compounded with smoking, the risk of lung cancer greatly increases. There is another type of lung cancer, known as mesothelioma, an occupational hazard among people who work around asbestos.

Most people affected by lung cancer are over the age of fifty and are long-term smokers. Symptoms can vary depending upon the location of the tumor within the lungs. Some common symptoms include chronic cough, chest pain, wheezing, and recurring lung infections.

Diagnosis of lung cancer can easily be done by an experienced health care professional based on your symptoms, smoking history, medical history, earlier family history of lung cancer, and exposure to occupational and environmental materials. The affirmative diagnosis can be completed with a chest X-ray. Different tests are available to diagnose small cell or non-small lung cancer to gauge the stage of the cancer. Medical professionals also diagnose whether the lung cancer is localized in your lung or spreading to other parts of your body.

Lung cancer is treated by three methods: chemotherapy (in which cancer cells can be eliminated by medication), radiation therapy (eradicating the cancer cells with high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays) and surgery (removal of the cancerous tumor). It's considered difficult to treat advanced stage lung cancer, but early stage cancer can be treated with moderate success.

As prevention is better than cure, it is highly prudent not to use any tobacco. The best way to reduce the occurrence of lung cancer is to quit smoking. If you quit smoking at the earliest opportunity, you may gradually decrease your risk of lung cancer over 10 to 15 years as your lungs recover.