Lung Cancer-An Overview-Part One

I would like to begin a series of articles on a very important subject – Lung Cancer.

This disease is beginning to have some profound implications, not only to the health and well-being of our own society here in America, but also throughout the world.

The main reason this has become such a prevalent problem – SMOKING!

That’s it – plain and simple. Too many people are still smoking – and too many people still have to breathe second-hand smoke. This is especially upsetting to me when I see parents smoking around their young children.

So, for the next several articles, lung cancer will be the topic. I will probably intersperse a few articles on other topics just to break the tension – or the boredom – or whatever. But, generally, you’ll be getting a heck-of-a-lot of information about this subject. These articles will run over the next month or so.

Now, I’m not a doctor or a health professional — so let’s clear that up right away. In fact, I think I better post a disclaimer here right away so we don’t have any misunderstandings. I’m very interested in the broader subject of health and nutrition, so that’s my primary reason for embarking on this series.

I hope you enjoy these articles. My purpose in doing this is to offer the point of view of the average person, rather than the professional.

Here is the more legal language for the disclaimer:
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DISCLAIMER

These articles were written with great care. However, in spite of this, errors or omissions may occur. These articles are provided “as is” without any warranty whether expressed or implied. All readers of these articles agree to use the information provided in these articles entirely at their own risk.

These articles should not be used as a basis for any form of diagnosis or treatment for any medical condition whatsoever – including Lung Cancer.

Always seek the advice of a professional medical doctor.
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Okay, that’s done. Now let’s get on with our first article.

Cells are the building blocks of the body. We know very well that cells grow, divide, and proliferate with the needs of the body in order to keep it hearty and healthy. Sometimes the cells will divide among themselves, even though there is no need to multiply, and that mass of extra cells could form tumors or cancer. An uncontrolled and rapid growth of lung cells is called Lung Cancer.

Lung Cancer is categorized in two forms: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.

This Lung Cancer division is based upon the morphology of the cells as they appear under a microscope. Each type of the lung cancer has its own type of treatment since they spread in different ways.

The commonly occurring lung cancer is non-small lung cancer, which spreads and grows slowly. The three major types of non-small cell lung cancer are large cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

I’ll pick this subject up in the next article.

Shanti.