Lung Cancer - Treatment, Symptoms, Stages

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Lungs' cancer

General characteristics of the disease

Currently, lung cancer is ahead of all other cancers in terms of the number of confirmed diagnoses. The tumor affects men 7-10 times more often than women, which is explained by the addiction of the stronger sex to smoking and more harmful working conditions of traditionally "male" professions. Note also that lung cancer, which can show symptoms at any age, is still most common in people over 60.

Factors contributing to the onset of the disease

Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. Tobacco smoke contains a huge amount of carcinogenic substances that disrupt the structure of the bronchial epithelium, affect the normal functioning of the respiratory system and, ultimately, lead to the appearance of malignant neoplasms. The undoubted harm of smoking is evidenced by the fact that tobacco lovers die of lung cancer much more often than adherents of a healthy lifestyle. If you still cannot give up cigarettes, then choose products from well-known brands. They use expensive types of tobacco and make sure to supply cigarettes with a quality filter. And one more important addition: treatment of lung cancer may be required not only for a smoker, but also for people who surround him, because tobacco smoke is harmful even if you do not inhale a cigarette,just inhale it.

Poor ecology is another important factor contributing to the onset and development of the disease. Lung cancer symptoms often appear in people living in large metropolitan areas. The profession of a person also matters. It has been noticed that arsenic, asbestos dust, nickel and chromium provoke the appearance of cancer cells and other inflammatory processes. This is especially true for people whose bronchi and lungs have already suffered from serious diseases such as tuberculosis or pneumosclerosis.

Lung cancer - symptoms of the disease

Diagnosis of lung cancer is very difficult due to the fact that in most people the early stages of the disease do not have any pronounced symptoms. Suffice it to say that currently only 15% of cases are diagnosed on time, and doctors can take measures to prevent the spread of the tumor. But even in these early cases, neoplasms were found after X-rays, computed tomography and other methods prescribed for a completely different reason. This is a very disturbing fact that clearly demonstrates how dangerous lung cancer is. Metastases appear when it is already extremely difficult to fight them, and this largely explains the number of deaths associated with the development of tumors in the human lungs.

We recommend that you see your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• constant pain in the chest area, aggravated by physical exertion and deep breathing;
• prolonged cough that does not go away over time;
• loss of appetite and sharp weight loss;
• dyspnea;
• relapses of previous bronchitis or pneumonia.

Also, lung cancer, metastases of which eventually appear in other organs, manifests itself:

• bone pain;
• dizziness;
• weakness and numbness of the arms or legs, rapid fatigue;
• changes in the color of the eyes and skin.

Lung cancer stages

Lung cancer treatment depends on the extent and severity of the disease in the body. The stage of the disease is assessed based on the size of the tumor, the presence or absence of metastases, concomitant diseases, and some other factors. Determination of the stage of lung cancer is essential for the selection of the optimal method of treatment and prognosis for recovery. In the course of diagnostic measures, doctors use computed tomography, X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging, bone scintigraphy and the results of general tests.

Lung cancer is divided into 4 stages:

• I - the disease develops only in the lungs;
• II and III - the tumor spreads to the chest area;
• IV - numerous sites of stasis in neighboring organs, spread to distant parts of the body.

Of course, the greatest danger is severe lung cancer. Stage 4 is characterized by changes in the work of all major body systems. The prognosis is usually poor, especially in the case of elderly patients.

Diagnosis of lung cancer

The problem of timely detection of malignant formations in the organs of the respiratory system has not been solved to this day. Clear signs of lung cancer appear already in the late stages of the disease, and up to this point, the disease is usually detected by chance, during diagnostic measures that are not directly related to tumors. A few numbers confirming the unfavorable trend:

• stage I lung cancer is found in 16% of patients;
• on II - in 20-35% of patients;
• on III - in 50-75% of patients;
• more than 10% of people go to doctors when they already develop stage 4 lung cancer.

Late diagnosis is due to how lung cancer manifests itself. Symptoms of the disease in stages I and II are practically not pronounced and cause minimal inconvenience, because of which people are in no hurry to see a doctor. Only regular dispensary examinations, preventive and diagnostic measures aimed at early detection of serious diseases, including lung cancer, can reverse this trend.

With regard to the diagnosis of lung cancer. The leading place here is taken by fluorography of the chest cavity. Despite its spread, the results of the study of photographs of potential patients are disappointing. It is possible to detect a tumor in only 20-30 people out of 10 thousand examined. There is no doubt that fluorography should be supplemented with traditional physical examinations and instrumental techniques, for example, X-ray examinations, including tomograms, computed tomography and plain radiographs. Good results are shown by endoscopic bronchological examination, which makes it possible to clarify the size and morphological structure of the tumor.

In the event that doctors have suspicions of lung cancer, but it is not possible to identify the disease with traditional methods, it is advisable to use diagnostic thoracoscopy or thoracotomy, implying an urgent biopsy from the lymph nodes and the main lesion.

Carrying out all of the above complex of measures allows you to make an accurate diagnosis, determine the stage of lung cancer and choose the most effective treatment tactics.

Lung cancer treatment

Like many other cancers, the treatment of malignant neoplasms in the lungs must be comprehensive. Currently, doctors in specialized clinics use all the achievements of modern clinical oncology: surgical and radiation treatment of lung cancer, chemotherapy procedures, combined methods.

Radiation and chemotherapy are conservative treatments. They involve the use of powerful X-ray therapy equipment, linear accelerators, gammatrons and betatrons. In addition, this also includes the synthesis of new anticancer drugs. Note that conservative methods are significantly inferior to surgical methods in terms of efficiency, however, they have their own undoubted advantages. In particular, they make it possible to provide assistance to a large number of sick people, which is impossible in the case of surgical intervention, which requires the highest qualifications and experience from the performers.

Surgical treatment of lung cancer involves resection of the affected tissues, taking into account all the necessary oncological principles (the location of the tumor, the ablasticity of the technique, the zoning of metastasis, etc.). In most cases, surgical intervention includes not only resection of the affected lung, but also the removal of regional lymph nodes.

The success of treatment depends on the stage of lung cancer, the size of the neoplasm, the intensity of metastasis, the state of the patient's body and other factors. In stages I and II, the disease is cured in more than 70% of cases, so we advise you to consult a doctor for any adverse symptoms.

Modern methods of treating lung cancer allow for more sparing operations and significantly increase the patient's chance of recovery.

YouTube video related to the article:

The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!