Lung Cancer

Causes

· Lung cancer can be caused by an abnormality in the cell. Disruption of the normal checks and balances on cell growth results in an uncontrolled division of cells which forms a mass or tumor.
· Also smoking can play a big role in receiving lung cancer. The 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes are a big component.
· Air pollution such as motor vehicles and factories may increase the chance.
· Lung diseases such as tuberculosis can create a risk for lung cancer. They are 4 to 6 times more likely to receive it over smokers.



Symptoms

· No symptoms are common. For about 25% lung cancer is found out on a routine check up.
· An interference of breathing, cough, wheezing, chest pain, and coughing up blood may occur. Also difficulty in swallowing may result. Also blood in mucous can occur.
· If the cancer interferes with nerves, shoulder pain which travels down the arm may be present.
· If the cancer is spread to the bone pain will appear at cite of any bone.
· If spread to brain, symptoms involve blurred vision, headaches, seizures, and symptoms of stroke.
· Elevation in levels of calcium in the bloodstream may occur due to increase of hormones.


Treatment

· Can involve surgical removal. Usually removed during stage 1 on cancer. It doesn’t always cure cancer for good. If cancer is too close to trachea surgery can’t be done. Also it depends on size and location of tumor.
· Another treatment is radiation. It uses high energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill dividing cancer cells. It is delivered externally by machines that direct the radiation to the cancer. Also delivered internally through of radioactive substances in sealed containers in infected areas. Radiation generally shrinks or limits the tumor.
· The last treatment is chemotherapy. It is the administration of drugs that stop the growth of cancer cells, by killing or preventing them. It can be given alone or along with radiation therapy. Platinum based drugs help cure lung cancers. Chemotherapy increases life span in some cases. It can be given as pills, or an intravenous infusion.
(Symptoms of chemotherapy include fatigue, weight loss, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and mouth sores.)

Interesting Facts

· Tumors can be split into too outcomes, benign and malignant. Benign tumors can most likely be removed and rarely spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors grow fast, and invade other tissues in the body.
· Lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize early on, its makes it very life threatening. It’s one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
· The most common sites for Lung cancer to spread are adrenal glands, liver, brain, and bone.
· Lung cancers can arise in any part of the lung, but 90%-95% of cancers of the lung are thought to arise from the epithelial, or lining cells of the larger and smaller airways
· Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined



Websites….
http://www.medicinenet.com/lung_cancer/article.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/lung_cancer/page2_em.htm
http://www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org/index.cfm?page=lung_cancer_facts_US