November 29, 2005
In the last article we talked about the two forms of lung cancer – non-small cell and small cell. We also indicated that the more common form is the non-small cell form.
Small cell lung cancer is not as common as non-small lung cancer. This type of lung cancer spreads rapidly and may reach different organs of the body. This type of lung cancer is called oat cell cancer.
During recent years, lung cancer has been proclaimed as the deadliest form of cancer in many developed nations, including the USA, where 170,000 people die from the disease each year. Even though lung changes begin almost immediately upon exposure to carcinogens, lung cancer takes years to develop.
The main cause of the lung cancer is the inhalation of the carcinogens through cigarette smoke by both smokers and non-smokers. The risk of lung cancer increases when there is an environmental exposure to Radon compounded with smoking. Apart from this, lung cancer is considered to be an occupational hazard among the people who are working in the asbestos industry, which is termed as mesothelioma lung cancer.
Lung cancer mostly affects people over fifty years of age and who also have the habit of smoking. The lung cancer symptoms depend upon the location of the tumor in the lungs. You may suspect lung cancer if you are suffering from chronic cough, chest pain, wheezing, and recurring lung infections.
Diagnosis of lung cancer can easily be performed 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 substances. The confirmative diagnosis can be performed with a chest X-ray. Different tests are available to diagnose small cell or non-small lung cancer to determine the stage of the cancer. Medical professionals tend to diagnose whether the lung cancer is localized in your lung or spreading to other parts of your body.
As prevention is better than cure, it is highly advisable not to use any tobacco.
The best way to curtail the occurrence of lung cancer is to Quit Smoking.
If you quit smoking at an early age, you may gradually decrease your risk of lung cancer over 10 to 15 years as your lungs recover.
Treatment of lung cancer may be achieved by chemotherapy (cancer cells can be eliminated by medications), radiation therapy (eliminating the cancer cells by high—dose X-rays or other high-energy rays), or surgery (cancer removal). Treatment of advanced stage lung cancer is found to be difficult. There is a moderate success rate in early stage treatment.
I’ll be back soon with more articles on this topic. I hope you are finding this interesting and helpful.
Shanti.
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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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