Lung cancer—an overview

Cells are the building blocks of the body. We know very well that cells grow, divide, and proliferate with the needs of the body to keep it hale and healthy. Sometimes the cells will grow and divide even though there is no need for them to multiply, and the mass of extra cells forms a tumor or cancer. An uncontrolled and rapid growth of lung cells is called lung cancer. Lung cancer can occur in two forms, viz., small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer has been divided based upon the morphology of the cells as they look under a microscope. Each type of the lung cancer requires its own form of treatment since each spreads in different ways.

The most commonly occurring lung cancer is non-small cell 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.

Small cell lung cancer is not so common as that of 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 also called oat cell cancer.

Nowadays, lung cancer has been accredited 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 etiology of lung cancer is the inhalation of 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 asbestos industry, which is termed as mesothelioma lung cancer.

Lung cancer mostly affects people over fifty who also have been smoking for a long time. 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, or 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 also diagnose whether the lung cancer is localized in your lung or spreading to other parts of your body.

Since 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 “Quit smoking”. If you quit smoking at an earlier 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 with moderate success rate in early stage treatment.