The fact of the matter is that those things that men tend to derive pleasure in, is what kills man faster on the long run simply put, “too much of everything is bad” That is to say that too much tobacco is a terribly bad for a good health conditioning.
What therefore is cancer of the lungs?
Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. As they grow, the abnormal cells can form tumors and interfere with the functioning of the lung, which provides oxygen to the body via the blood.
Cigarette as a major cause of lung cancer
Cigarette smoking is by far the most important risk factor for lung cancer; 81% of lung cancer deaths in the US are still caused by smoking. Risk increases with both quantity and duration of smoking. Cigar and pipe smoking also increase risk Cigarette smoking is by far the most important risk factor for lung cancer; 81% of lung cancer deaths in the US are still caused by smoking. Risk increases with both quantity and duration of smoking. Cigar and pipe smoking also increase risk (particularly among smokers).
Signs and symptoms of lung cancer caused cigarette
Symptoms include persistent cough, sputum streaked with blood, chest pain, voice change, worsening shortness of breath, and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis. Symptoms usually do not appear until the cancer is advanced.
Early detection of lung cancer: Screening with low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) has been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality by about 20% compared to standard chest x-ray among current or former (quit within 15 years) heavy smokers. The American Cancer Society recommends annual screening for lung cancer with LDCT in adults 55 to 74 years of age who are current or former heavy smokers and in relatively good health who have received evidence-based smoking-cessation counseling (if they are current smokers) and have undergone a process of informed/shared decision making that included a description of the potential benefits, limitations, and harms associated with lung cancer screening.
Diagnosing Lung Cancer
If lung cancer is suspected as a result of a screening procedure (CT, MRI or PET scan), a small piece of tissue from the lung must be examined under a microscope to look for cancer cells. Called a biopsy, this procedure can be performed in different ways. In some cases, the doctor passes a needle through the skin into the lungs to remove a small piece of tissue; this procedure is often called a needle biopsy.
In other cases, a biopsy may be done during a bronchoscopy. With the patient under sedation, the doctor inserts a small tube through the mouth or nose and into the lungs. The tube, which has a light, small camera and a surgical instrument on the end, allows the doctor to see inside the lung and remove a small tissue sample.
Recently, the FDA approved the first liquid biopsy for lung cancer which utilizes free floating DNA in the bloodstream for analysis. Tumors shed this DNA material into the blood as the cells within them die. The DNA is collected and analyzed allowing doctors to get a “snapshot” of the genetic mutations and other irregularities that drive a tumor’s growth. Liquid biopsies offer some important advantages, in that they are non-invasive, inexpensive, provide timely results and are easily repeatable.
If cancer cells are found in the tissue sample, a genetic test may be performed. Genetic testing, which may also be referred to as “molecular profiling or mutation profiling,” allows doctors to look inside tumor cells for gene mutations or changes that may have caused them to be cancerous. This testing helps a doctor develop a treatment plan for the patient.
Pathologists (doctors who identify diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope) and geneticists (scientists with special training in the study of genes) can give your doctor the information he or she needs to tailor a treatment that will be most effective. These specialists can determine the distinct characteristics of each lung cancer: the tumor type (NSCLC or SCLC, for example); how far it has advanced (its stage); and the mutations (gene changes) that cause or “drive” the cancer.
As the importance of understanding the genetic characteristics of a lung tumor cell has increased, pathologists and pulmonologists are encouraging that reflex testing be carried out. Reflex testing involves performing testing for currently known lung cancer mutations or drivers at the same time that the diagnostic testing is carried out, irrespective of the patient’s tumor staging.!
Treatment of lung cancer: Appropriate treatment for lung cancer is based on whether the tumor is small cell (13%) or non small cell (84%), as well as the stage and molecular characteristics. For early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, surgery is the usual treatment, sometimes with chemotherapy, alone or in combination with radiation therapy. Advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer is usually treated with chemotherapy, targeted drugs (or a combination of the two), or immunotherapy. Small cell lung cancer is usually treated with chemotherapy, alone or combined with radiation; a large percentage of patients on this regimen briefly experience remission, although the cancer often returns.
References
Retrieved from: https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/cancerwise/what-role-does-a-pulmonologist-play-in-cancer-treatment-.h00-159224145.html.
Cancer facts and figures 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2019/cancer-facts-and-figures-2019.pdf
Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lung-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20374620
