Lung cancer is the number one cause of death in both women and men, as it continues to kill over one million people per year. The only way for individuals to decrease their chances of getting lung cancer is to steer clear of using any tobacco products. The cause of lung cancer is highly associated with smoking cigarettes, as around 90% of lung cancer is a result of using tobacco. The interesting, yet devastating fact about lung cancer is that it’s the most preventable cancer, yet still the number one cause of death among all cancers.
Lung Cancer History
This type of cancer is commonly categorized as non-small cell or small cell, which is often discovered through a biopsy. A lung cancer specialist must determine the proper treatment depending on the type and stage. Generally the options are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a variation of all three. Some individuals offer to partake in ongoing clinical trials, in order to increase chances of survival.
Lung Cancer Stages
Diagnosing this cancer in the earliest stage can be critical to saving someone’s life. The overall health of the patient also plays a huge part in whether the patient may successfully undergo treatment.
The Symptoms of Lung Cancer
In the very early stages of lung cancer, it may not cause any symptoms at all and lung cancer is often found through an x-ray performed for another reason. The symptoms of lung cancer most commonly include:
- Cough
- Coughing blood
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of appetite
- Losing weight
- Chest pain
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty swallowing
- Nail problems
- Joint pain
- Bone tenderness
- Changing of the voice
- Facial swelling
- Droopy eyelid
The Function of Lungs
An individual’s lungs are used to exchange gases within the air we breathe. Carbon dioxide is detached from an individual’s bloodstream and then oxygen within stimulated air enters into the bloodstream. The right lung has a total of three lobes and the left lung has only two lobes along with a structure called the lingual (equal to a third lobe).
The bronchi are the main airways which enter through the lungs and these come from the trachea. Then there is a bronchi branch which goes into increasingly smaller airways called the bronchioles which finish in tiny sacs called alveoli where the actual gas exchange takes place. The entire chest wall and lungs consist of a thin layer of tissue called pleura.
It is possible for lung cancer to occur in any area of the lungs, although over 90% percent of lung cancer takes place in the epithelial or lining cells of the larger and smaller airways also known as the bronchi and bronchioles.
Pain in Lung Cancer
Many people experience intense pain as their lung cancer tumors may be pressing against bones, nerves and other parts of the body, or the actual treatment lung cancer patients’ face can also cause pain, as well. The pain is often reduced from pain medication, massage therapy and sometimes a nerve block.
Lung cancer is a seriously life threatening disease which has towered over the mortality rate of all existing cancers. The only way individuals may prevent themselves from potentially getting lung cancer is to stay away from the use of all tobacco products. It is extremely sad for family members to watch their dying loved ones, knowing the possibility of them never having to have experienced the pain and suffering if only they had stayed away from the addiction of tobacco.
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