What is Lung cancer: Cancer which is found in the lungs is termed as lung cancer. Lungs are the softy organs located in the chest on both either side of the heart. Lungs are the essential organs useful in supplying oxygen in the blood to various parts of the body. Lung cancer is referred as the malignant tumor because it spreads through out the body, lung cancer cells usually travels through blood vessels into tissues and lymph nodes. So, during surgery process the lymph nodes are also removed to check for the cancer cells.
Lung cancer can spread to bone, gynecologic sytem, gastrointestinal system, heart and other organs. This kind of spreading nature is defined as metastatic lung cancer.
Occurrence of Lung cancer:
Lung cancer is a combination of several diseases with different types of causes, symptoms and treatments. It is of many types, in which abnormal growth of cells is common in all of them. Generally normal cells plays major role in defining cancer. All the organs and tissues in the body are made up by tiny body cells. These cells have a constant process of dying and replacing new cells. This is the general process carried by them, if there is any malfunction in their life cycle then there is a chance for the occurrence of lung cancer. Tumor occurs due to the formation of excess cells in the body. There are two types of Tumors one is benign tumor and the other is malignant tumor. Benign tumor is not cancerous but can cause damage to the adjacent organs if it grows continuously at a single site. Malignant tumor is cancerous. It spreads through out the body and damages the entire body organs.
Causes of Lung cancer: Many of the researchers doesn’t know the exact cause for the occurrence of Lung cancer, but the risk factors for the occurrence of Lung cancer is identified. Here is the list of risk factors.
Risk factors of Lung cancer:
Smoking: This activity is the major risk factor in causing Lung cancer. Smoking leads to lung cancer and also causes several side effects like digestion problems, burning sensation, headache and site blindness. So avoid smoking to prevent Lung cancer from occurrence.
Second hand of smoking: This activity is also the major risk factor in causing cancer. Passive smoking also leads to lung cancer but at comparatively slow rate.
Age: Generally aged people will be suffering from lung cancer due to decrease in immune power system and increase in pollution causing factors .if the age is above 50 years, there will be more chances of getting lung cancer due to the increase in risk factors.
Radon gas: Radon gas is a mixture of several chemical agents. it is a decay compound of uranium which increases risk factors for lung cancer. Nearly 12 percent of lung cancer is caused due to radon gas.
Asbestos fiber: Exposure to asbestos fiber for longer duration will increase the risk factors for lung cancer.
Air pollution: Air pollution is one of the leading factors for increasing the causes of lung cancer. Pollution from vehicles, factories and power plants can raise the risk factor for up to 2 percent.
Lung diseases: Due to presence of lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the risk factor rate is increased by 1 to 2 percent in a year.
Family pedigree: Genetic susceptibility also plays major role in increasing the risk factors for lung cancer.
Symptoms and signs of Lung cancer: Lung cancer is termed as a silent disease because it doesn’t show any symptoms in the early stage of its occurrence.
• Jaundice
• Diarrhea
• Muscle spasms
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Digestion problem
• Urination infections
• Weight loss
• Tiredness
• Pneumonia
• Hoarseness
• Dysphaqia
• Stroke
• Loss of sensations in the body parts
• Blood in sputum
• Persistent bronchitis
• Breathing difficulties
These are the possible symptoms of Lung cancer. If you find any of these symptoms please go for screening test to prevent this slow cancer disease.
Effects of lung cancer:
Sleep disorder: Severe illness, stress, emotional pain and usage of drugs are the driving factors for causing sleep disorder. People suffering with this cancer disease will generally face this disorder .
Nausea and vomiting: Body hormone changes, pains, body inflammation, poor blood flow and anxiety are the causing factors of nausea and vomiting.
Fatigue: Due to the excess treatment process of cancer ,body faces severe exhaustion or tiredness.
Delirium: This side effect occurs during the last period of life .Delirium is nothing but the malfunction of the brain due to severe attack of cancer cells in the body.
Constipation: Constipation occurs during the early stage of the cancer. Constipation means slow movement of body waste through the body. Due to constipation the body faces illness.
Treatment methods for Lung cancer:
Curing of this lung cancer should be done in the early stages before it spreads through out the body or else it can’t be cured. Lung cancer can be treated with Surgery, Radiotherapy ,Chemotherapy and Biotherapy.
Surgery: Surgery is carried to remove the lung cancer. Surgery can be carried in the early stages of the tumor occurrence. Surgery will be taken place only if the tumor is located in only one part of the body. During the surgery process the damaged lymph nodes are also removed along with the tumor. During surgery the entire lung or part of it will be removed if necessary. During some cases, the major portion of the lung will be removed along with other tissues for avoiding spreading of the disease. About 20 percent of lung cancer cases will be cured by surgeries but removal is not a cure because the tumor cells spreads through out the lungs. So surgery alone can’t cure lung cancer, we require chemotherapy and radiation therapy for complete curingof this lung cancer.
Radiation therapy: This treatment is based on the extent of the disease. Radiotherapy is a useful process in removing lung cancer cells by using high intensity x-rays. These high energy x-rays are aimed at the lung tumor to destroy the cancer cells .This process also causes damage to the normal cells for its side effects. There are two types of radiation therapy.
- External Radiation Therapy: External radiation therapy process is carried out from outside the body. The powerful x-ray beams are aimed at the effected area from outside the body and destroys the cancer causing cells permanently without re-occurrence.
- Internal Radiation Therapy: Internal radiation therapy process is carried out from inside the body. The powerful x-ray beams are aimed at the effected part by making small incisions to destroy the cancer causing cells permanently without re-occurrence. This process gives better results than external radiation.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs are called as anti-cancer drugs used to destroy lung cancer cells .There are many types of chemotherapy drugs available in the market for the treatment of cancer. This treatment process is carried by either pills or through intravascular injections. The anti-cancer drug enters into the bloodstream and travels towards the damaged tissues of lungs and destroys the cancer cells.
Chemotherapeutic drugs attacks the cancer cells by stopping their unusual growth. The nature of the cancer cells were brought to the normal condition by controlling the divisibility of the cells. These drugs are carried in the bloodstream to kill all the cancer cells within short period of time. Chemotherapy is useful in killing cancer cells, avoids spreading of cancer cells to various parts of the body, stops multiple divisions of lung cancer cells and avoids replacing of non-cancerous cell into cancerous cells.
Biotherapy: Body possesses weak immune system due to the effect of lung cancer cells. So, due to weak immune system in the body, there are chances for the development of lung cancer cells in the body. So this Biotherapy treatment process is useful in rebuilding strong immune system in the body. Biotherapy is also called as immunotherapy or biological response modifier therapy. This treatment process is really useful in repairing, enhancing and stimulating the weak immune system of the body. This process can be carried along with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy drugs are very useful in blocking the growth of cancer cells. People facing with chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia can use this targeted therapy drugs for better results.
Treatment of recurrence: Surgery is the treatment method for recurrence of lung cancer. This recurrence treatment is very useful in curing the lung cancer. It stops the re-occurrence of this disease after having treatments.
Photodynamic therapy: This therapy is a new method for treating lung cancer by injecting photosynthesizing agent directly into the bloodstream by using intravascular injection. This agent spreads through the cancer cells and itself deposits with the cancer cells and after that doctor performs some surgery to apply a certain wavelength of light through hand held wand. This instrument targets the light directly on the photosynthesizing agent and burns the cancer causing cells. This method is useful in advanced stage of lung cancer.
Lung cancer is termed as a serious cancer disease. It is mainly caused due to smoking of tobacco. This disease can be cured only in the early stage of its occurrence. Lung cancer causes any other cancer related diseases in the body due to its metastatic characteristics. Lung cancer symptoms cannot be identified in the early stages. Later on its improvement we can find some symptoms which are listed above. Lung cancer is the most leading disease around the world.
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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Causes ,effects symptoms and treatments of lung cancer
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