Lung cancer is a very serious form of cancer. It is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in the United States. It can cause more deaths than any other cancer among men and women. Lung cancer makes up fourteen percent of the total cancer records and twenty-eight percent of cancer deaths in America.
This is because lung cancer is usually diagnosed when it is already in its advanced stage, thus controlling the disease becomes almost impossible.
The reason for this is that coughing, which is the most common early symptom of lung cancer is being neglected. Smokers associate coughing with mere itchiness in the throat.
Lung cancer involves uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs. This may cause the formation of mass called tumor.
Two types of lung cancer tumor are benign or non-cancerous and malignant or cancerous. Treatment of this disease depends on the status of the tumor whether it is benign or malignant. However, lung cancer generally has no cure; you can only lessen the symptom, which is the goal of the treatment for this serious health problem.
Even if all evidences points to smoking as the major cause of this disease, non-smokers may develop it as well. In other words, not all lung cancer patients are smokers. This is because breathing impure air is the real reason behind the disease.
Additionally, those non-smokers who receive cigarette smoke from nearby smokers may also develop lung cancer, this is known as second hand smoking.
Another cause of the disease is the exposure to asbestos ashes. Asbestos ashes may cause Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdominal cavity.Two major types of lung cancer are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
Small cell lung cancer, or oat cell lung cancer as other doctors call it, accounts for twenty to twenty-five percent of cancers around the United States. This cancer is strongly linked to smoking.
The second type is non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer has three sub-divisions depending on the type of cell affected.
The three types of non-small lung cancer are Squamous cell carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma and large cell lung cancer.
Studies show that non-small cell lung cancer grows and spreads slower than its small cell counterpart, and like small cell lung cancer, the major cause of this is smoking.
There are various treatments for lung cancer, however the treatments are mainly dependent on the type of cancer, the stage of development and the condition of the patient.
If it is diagnosed in its early stage, lung cancer tumor may be removed and the disease can be brought into remission.
However, because symptoms of this cancer only show when the disease is already on its advanced stage, it is thus difficult to control its growth.
Additionally, as mentioned earlier treatments on lung cancer especially on its advanced stage are merely to lessen the symptoms, bringing it down to remission may be impossible at this stage. This is because other tumor cells may already be developing in other organs of the body.
Surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be helpful but it is actually not cure, it is merely to lessen or halt the growth and development of the cancer.
Avoiding smoking and too much exposure to impure air will help you avoid lung cancer. Reinforcing your immune system by regular exercise, well-balanced diet and taking vitamins will help you avoid the scare of lung cancer.
Always be aware of the condition of the air around you to make sure you will not develop this deadly disease.
