Lung Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Types, and More

Question #2The most prevalent causes of this disease in America are nicotine, smoking, and secondhand smoke. Second-hand smoking is when a person inhales tobacco involuntarily. (Lung Cancer.) The leading cause of lung cancer is tobacco smoking, which is responsible for nearly eighty percent of lung cancer deaths. (American Cancer Society) Being exposed to radiation can increase an individual’s risk of lung cancer. (Lung Cancer.) Damaged DNA cells through energy are caused by radiation. Certain types of radiation, such as gamma rays and x-rays can cause non-small cell lung carcinoma.(What Causes Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?) Avoiding certain types of radiation and smoking products can help prevent the occurrence of lung carcinoma. (American Lung Association)Genetic factors can also play a role in the formation of carcinomas in the lungs. Previous family members that have a history of lung cancer may increase one’s risk of lung cancer. Mutated genes; known to run for many generations in families, may cause cancerous cells.Gene mutation is another familiar cause for cancer cell development within the lungs.The two main groups of lung carcinomas are non-small cell and small cell lung cancer. (Lung Cancer) The type of lung cancer is classified by looking at the carcinoma at the cellular level. (Lung Cancer: Symptoms, Treatment, and Early Diagnosis.) Tobacco products break down the cells in the lining of the lungs which leads to carcinomas. (Lung Cancer) Carcinomas and tumors are the results of the overproduction of cells within the lungs. (Lung Cancer: Symptoms, Treatment, and Early Diagnosis.)Tumors affect breathing in a variety of ways depending on what area of the lung is affected. Some symptoms are shortness of breath and persistent coughing. The degree to which lung cancer affects a patient’s body is determined by how fast the carcinoma grows or multiplies. Patients will typically utilize medical treatments to help prevent significant shortness of breath. (How Does Lung Cancer Affect Breathing? | Lung Cancer.)Weight loss is another familiar trademark in patients with lung cancer. Many patients will experience weight loss (cachexia) and/or loss of appetite (anorexia). Both of these symptoms can result in cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS). Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome actually accentuates the destruction of lung tissue and causes further deterioration. Due to CACS, weight loss issues will develop in approximately fifty percent of patients diagnosed with lung cancer. (Symptoms – Loss of Appetite & Weight Loss.)Another manifestation of lung cancer may include hemoptysis. Hemoptysis is the act of coughing up blood. (Lung Cancer: 10 Symptoms of Lung Cancer.) Chest pain is a typical by-product for patients with carcinoma in the lungs. Sharp chest pain affects nearly twenty percent of all lung cancer patients. (Symptoms – Pain.)Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. This type of cancer has claimed more victims than any other form of cancer. Lung Cancer has killed more men and women than colon, prostate, and breast cancer combined. Of all newly diagnosed cancer patients, approximately fifteen percent of those cases are classified as lung cancer. (Key Statistics for Lung Cancer)Genetic mutations can play a part in a person’s probability of being diagnosed with lung cancer. Lung cancer occurs at higher percentage rates in certain ethnic groups. Black men are diagnosed with lung cancer at a twenty percent higher rate than white men. Black women are diagnosed with lung cancer ten percent more often than white women. (Key Statistics for Lung Cancer)Gender also plays a significant factor in lung cancer statistics. Lung cancer is found more often in men than in women. This type of cancer is typically identified in women at a younger age, while men are generally diagnosed when older. Lung cancer results in more female deaths than any other form of cancer in American today, In a one-year span, twice as many women will die from lung cancer over breast cancer. (Lung Cancer: Men vs. Women.)Treating lung cancer is determined by a doctor. (based on the degree of lung carcinoma, a doctor will prescribe treatment options.) The treatment also depends on the condition and health of the patient. (One’s treatments options will rely on the status of the patients health) There are multiple treatments for lung cancer. (Lung carcinoma has a number of medical options to help reduce this disease such as chemotherapies, surgeries, and radiation therapies.) Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for lung cancer. (Chemotherapy is the most recommended and used medicine to help prevent and kill cancerous cells in the lung) Chemotherapy is a drug that can slowly kill lung cancer. (Chemotherapy is a prescribed medicine that supposedly destroys cancerous cells lining the lung.) (Lung Cancer)A doctor is the best person to help determine the most ideal way for people that have developed lung carcinoma to fight this disease. Various options to battle this illness depend on the status of the patient’s health. Such medical options include chemotherapies, surgeries and radiation therapies. Typically, chemotherapy is the first form of treatment to help prevent and wipe out these deadly cells.Many people undergo surgery to remove lung cancer. Lung cancer is removed during the procedure. (Lung Cancer) Patients with non-small cell lung cancer are easier to remove during surgery. During the procedure, the doctor will remove the lobe or area, where the cancer is located in the lungs. A lobe is an area where the cancer is located and removed. (Lung Cancer 101)Radiation therapy is another form of lung cancer treatment. Radiation therapy works by using high-powered energy beams on a lung cancer patient’s body through a machine to kill cancer. This is often paired with surgery or chemotherapy. (Lung Cancer) There are multiple different kinds of radiation therapies that are used to help cure lung cancer. However, all different kinds of therapy stop cancer cells from growing and kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy can also be used to relieve symptoms of lung cancer (Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer.) such as shortness of breath, constant tiredness, and nausea. (Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer.)There are multiple different kinds of lung cancer. The two main types of lung cancer are small-cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is around fifteen percent of all lung cancer. Less than five percent of patients diagnosed with small cell lung cancer have never smoked. Small cell lung cancer can also be referred to as carcinoma. Carcinoma tends to be very aggressive and grows and rapid rates. As a result of being aggressive, carcinoma is known to spread into regions of the body such as lymph nodes, liver, brain, adrenal glands, and certain bones. (Lung Cancer)Non-small cell lung cancer (also referred to as NSCLC) is the more common diagnosis of lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer is divided into three different categories based on the features of the cancer cells. The three different categories are large cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma is responsible for around forty percent of all non-small cell lung cancer cases. What makes adenocarcinoma different from squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma is that this particular type of non-small cell lung cancer tends to develop among the outer regions of the lung. (Lung Cancer)The other two types of non-small cell lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma, combined makeup approximately thirty-five to forty-five percent of all non-small cell lung cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for twenty-five to thirty percent of all non-small cell lung cancer and large cell carcinoma takes up around ten to fifteen percent of all non-small cell lung cancer. The difference between the two is that squamous cell carcinoma usually caused by smoking and tobacco and is located in the central region of the lung. (Lung Cancer)Question #3