Lung cancer information

Lung cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the lung tissue. These cancer cells destroy the normal lung tissue. As the cancer cells grow they can become tumors that will interfere with lung function, so that the lungs can no longer transport oxygen to the blood. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, other causes are asbestos, radon, environmental factors and secondhand smoke.

Lung cancer symptoms

In the early stages of lung cancer there are usually no symptoms, therefore lung cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Chronic cough and coughing of blood is sometimes an early symptom of lung cancer that still might be possible to cure. Other symptoms and signs of lung cancer may be:

Chest, shoulder or back pain
Signs of blood in sputum
Shortness of breath
Hoarse voice
Wheezing
Recurrent bronchitis or pneumonia
Loss of appetite or involuntary weight loss
Fatigue
Difficulty swallowing
Swelling in the neck or swelling of the face

Stages of lung cancer

There are two types of lung cancer, non small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, for which staging is different.

Staging of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Stage 1: This is an early stage of lung cancer. It is possible to completely remove the tumor with surgery and cancer cells have not spread to the lymph nodes.

Stage 2: The cancer has spread to lymph nodes, but they are contained within the lung and can be removed by surgery.

Stage 3: In stage 3 it is hard and sometimes impossible to remove the cancer with surgery. Cancer has spread to lymph nodes not contained within the lung on the same side as the cancer started (stage 3a) or to lymph nodes on the other side of the chest (stage 3b).

Stage 4: The cancer has spread to different parts of the lung or other parts of the body through the blood stream.

Staging of small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

Limited stage: Cancer is only found in one lung and lymph nodes close to the lung.

Extensive stage: Cancer has spread to other parts of the chest or to other organs.

Diagnosis

A wide range of tests can be used to diagnose lung cancer.

They include:

Physical examination, examination of the chest – A physical examination can reveal typical symptoms of lung cancer such as breathing problems.
Chest x-ray – The patient is exposed to radiation to loo for abnormalities in the lungs
CT (Computed Tomography) scan – CT scans can be used to get more detailed images of the lungs, brain and than the X-ray images.
Spiral CT scan – Spiral CT scans have proven to be effective in discovering small cell lung cancer in smokers and x-smokers and is more sensitive than regular CT scans.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan – MRI can be used to determine a tumors location with good accuracy. It is a method similar to CT scan, but this technique uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create images. The patient is not exposed to radiation and there are no known side effects.
PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan – Cancer cells absorb sugar quicker than normal cells. This is used by radiologists to make a diagnosis by giving the patient a radioactive sugar substance and recording the radioactivity.
Bone scans – Can be used to determine if lung cancer has spread to the bones.
Sputum cytology – Sputum is examined under a microscope to determine if any cancerous cells are present.
Bronchoscopy – A bronchoscope is used to enter the lungs through the nose and throat. This makes it possible to see inside the lung and look for abnormalities.
Biopsy – A sample of cell tissue is taken from the lung to be examined under a microscope.

Prognosis

The prognosis or life expectancy for people diagnosed with lung cancer depends on the location and size of the tumor, the symptoms, what type of cancer the patient has been diagnosed with and the patient's general health status. Of all patients diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, the survival rate after 5 years is 5-10%, most of them have limited stage small cell lung cancer.

For non small cell lung cancer the survival rate is poor, however for patients diagnosed with stage 1 non small lung cancer, the survival rate is about 75%.

Overall, the prognosis for lung cancer recovery is poor compared to other types of cancer. The survival rate is about 16% after 5 years.

Lung cancer treatment

Lung cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of the three methods. When deciding which treatments to use, the location and size of the tumor, the type of lung cancer and the patient's general health are important factors.

There are many known alternative treatment approaches for cancer. If you are looking for alternative or natural treatment methods, this is a good place to find information: cancer tutor.