Lung Cancer

What is Lung Cancer?

Just like every other type of cancer,

Lung cancer is a deformity in a cell. There are two types of cancers which are either benign or malignant. When cancer is benign it can be remove in most cases and it hasnt been spread to other places and parts or the body. Malignant tumors, on the other hand, grow aggressively and invade other tissues of the body, allowing entry of tumor cells into the bloodstream or lymphatic system and then to other sites in the body. This process of spread is termed metastasis; the areas of tumor growth at these distant sites are called metastases. Since lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize very early in its course, it is a very life-threatening cancer and one of the most difficult cancers to treat. While lung cancer can spread to any organ in the body, certain organs -- particularly the adrenal glands, liver, brain, and bone -- are the most common sites for lung-cancer metastasis.

Symptoms of primary lung cancers include cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

• A new cough in a smoker or a former smoker should raise concern for lung cancer.
  
• A cough that does not go away or gets worse over time should be evaluated by a health-care provider.
  
• Coughing up blood (hemoptysis) occurs in a significant number of people who have lung cancer. Any amount of coughed-up blood is cause for concern.
  
• Chest pain is a symptom in about one-fourth of people with lung cancer. The pain is dull, aching, and persistent and may involve other structures surrounding the lung.
  
• Shortness of breath usually results from a blockage to the flow of air in part of the lung, collection of fluid around the lung , or the spread of tumor throughout the lungs.
  
• Wheezing or Hoarseness may signal blockage or inflammation in the lungs that may go along with cancer.
• Repeated respiratory infections, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, can be a sign of lung cancer.

Symptoms of metastatic lung tumors depend on the location and size. About 30%-40% of people with lung cancer have some symptoms or signs of metastatic disease.

1. Metastatic: change in position or orbit of an elementary particle.

• Lung cancer most often spreads to the liver, the adrenal glands, the bones, and the brain.
  
• Metastatic lung cancer in the liver usually does not cause symptoms, at least by the time of diagnosis.
  
• Metastatic lung cancer in the adrenal glands also typically causes no symptoms by the time of diagnosis.
  
• Metastasis to the bones is most common with small cell cancers but also occurs with other lung cancer types. Lung cancer that has metastasized to the bone causes bone pain, usually in the backbone (vertebrae), the thighbones, and the ribs.
  
• Lung cancer that spreads to the brain can cause difficulties with vision, weakness on one side of the body, and/or seizures.

Symptoms include the following:

• clubbing of fingers-the depositing of extra tissue under the fingernails
  
• new bone formation-along the lower legs or arms
  
• Anemia-low numbers of red blood cells and high or low calcium level in the blood.
  
• other effects-muscle weakness, skin rashes, and degeneration of the brain
  
• weight loss
• Fatigue
• Low Sodium Levels

CAUSES OF LUNG CANCER:

• Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which have been identified as causing cancer.
  
• A person who smokes more than one pack of cigarettes per day has a risk of developing lung cancer 20-25 times greater than someone who has never smoked.
  
• Once a person quits smoking, his or her risk for lung cancer gradually decreases. About 15 years after quitting, the risk for lung cancer decreases to the level of someone who never smoked.
  

• the number of cigarettes smoked and the age at which a person started smoking, and
• how long a person has smoked (or had smoked before quitting). Passive smoking, or secondhand smoke, presents another risk for lung cancer.
• Air pollution from motor vehicles, factories, and other sources probably increase the risk for lung cancer, and many experts believe that prolonged exposure to polluted air is similar to prolonged exposure to passive smoking in terms of risk for developing lung cancer.