Preview

Lung Cancer

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
297 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary lung cancers, are carcinomas that derive from epithelial cells. The main types of lung cancer are small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), also called oat cell cancer, and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The most common cause of lung cancer is long-term exposure to tobacco smoke,[1] which causes 80–90% of lung cancers.[2] Nonsmokers account for 10–15% of lung cancer cases,[3] and these cases are often attributed to a combination of genetic factors,[4] radon gas,[4] asbestos,[5] and air pollution[4] including secondhand smoke.[6][7]

The most common symptoms are coughing (including coughing up blood), weight loss and shortness of breath.[2] Lung cancer may be seen on chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT scan). The diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy.[8] This is usually performed by bronchoscopy or CT-guided biopsy. Treatment and prognosis depend on the histological type of cancer, the stage (degree of spread), and the patient's general well-being, measured by performance status. Common treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. NSCLC is sometimes treated with surgery, whereas SCLC usually responds better to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.[9]

Survival depends on stage, overall health, and other factors. Overall, 15% of people in the United States diagnosed with lung cancer survive five years after the diagnosis.[10] Worldwide, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women, and is responsible for 1.38 million deaths annually, as of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    There are many types of lung cancers. Small cell lung cancers (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), this classification are based upon the look of the tumor, the cells themselves (“lung Cancer”). These two types of cancers grow and spread in different ways and may have different treatment options, so a distinction between these two types is important (Genndes). SCLC makes up about 20% of lung cancers and is the most aggressive and rapidly growing of all lung cancers (“Lung Cancer”). SCLC is related to cigarette smoking, with only 1% of these tumors occurring in nonsmokers. SCLC metastasize rapidly too to-many sites within the body and are most often discovered after they have spread widely (“Lung cancer”). Referring to a specific cell appearance often seen when examining samples of SCLC under the microscope, these cancers are sometimes called oat cell carcinomas (“lung Cancer”). NSCLC are the most common lung cancers, it’s a cause for about 80% of all lung cancers. NSCLC can be divided into three main types that are named based upon the type of cells found in the tumor: Adenocarcinomas-(a malignant tumor with cells arranged in patterns similar to those of a gland) are the most commonly seen type of NSCLC in the U.S (“Lung Cancer”). They cover up to 50% of NSCLC. While adenocarcinomas are associated with smoking, like other lung cancers, this type is seen as well in…

    • 1722 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lung cancer does not have any symptoms until advance stages. For instance, symptoms for lung cancer are coughing, wheezing, chest pain and loss of appetite. This increases from age 40 to 70 years. In order to accurately diagnosis lung cancer a number of medical tests are required. Relapse rates are high and survival rates are very poor.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    p3 unit 12 public health

    • 1371 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lung cancer: Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that start off in one or both lungs but is usually in the cells that line the air passages. The abnormal cells do not develop into healthy lung tissue, they divide rapidly and form tumours. It is health concern as "Doctors in Britain are 'missing opportunities ' to spot lung cancer at an early stage," BBC News reports. A study found around a third of people with the condition die within 90 days of their initial diagnosis. http://www.nhs.uk and because there are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer it is hard to diagnose so more people are dying from this cancer. Lung cancer is on the increase especially in women because of the sharp decrease in the incidence of male lung cancer over the past two decades reflects the decline in smoking prevalence among men. ‘Female smokers are also twice as likely to develop lung cancer as male smokers’ http://www.nhs.uk it is on the increase becuase…

    • 1371 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers in smokers. The amount of lung cancer is powerfully connected with cigarette smoking, with about 90% of lung cancers rising ,as a result of tobacco use. The risk of lung cancer rises with the number of cigarettes smoked over time; doctors state to this risk in terms of pack-years of smoking history. Doctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that mark the lungs. When one breathes in cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer-causing materials, changes in the lung tissue begin almost rapidly. In the beginning one’s body may be able to heal this harm. Even so, with each frequent exposure, normal cells that line one’s lungs are gradually damaged. As time passed, the damage leads cells to act oddly and finally cancer can progress.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, most people get lung cancer. For example, according to the article What Causes Lung Cancer states “That smoking causes about 90% of all lung cancer” (pg. 1). That means smoking causes the majority of lung cancer. For instance, the American Lung Association states “It is a proven fact that you are 23 times more likely for women and 13 times more likely for men to get lung cancer compared to people who don’t smoke.” It is more…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lung Cancer

    • 1750 Words
    • 7 Pages

    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”. There are two major types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Staging lung cancer is based on whether the cancer is local or has spread from the lungs to the lymph nodes or other organs. Because the lungs are large, tumors can grow in them for a long time before they are found. Even when symptoms—such as coughing and fatigue—do occur, people think they are due to other causes. For this reason, “early-stage lung cancer (stages I and II) is difficult to detect. Most people with lung cancer are diagnosed at stages III and IV. Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for about 85 percent of lung cancers”(Lung Cancer 101.). The most common form is called Adenocarcinoma.…

    • 1750 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Smoking Work Cited

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages

    "Lung Cancer." Pub Med Health. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 24 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.…

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    lung cancer

    • 927 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many people are affected by smoking, second hand smoke, radon gas, asbestos and air pollution. The most common cause of lung cancer is long-term exposure to tobacco smoke, which causes 80–90% of lung cancers Nonsmokers account for 10–15% of lung cancer cases, and these cases are often attributed to a combination of genetic factors, and exposure to; radon gas, asbestos, and air pollution including second-hand smoke So the people that are affected need to be educated regarding the health issues around the use of tobacco.…

    • 927 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most cases are epithelial and this cell type is the easiest to treat. Although rare, when sarcomatoid cells are involved, the prognosis is the poorest because they're difficult to treat and are linked to more aggressive cancer. A mixture of the two, call biphasic, has a poorer prognosis than epithelial but the prognosis is better than sarcomatoid.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    * The size and location of the tumor (if the tumor is operable or not.) Review…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lung Cancer Term Paper

    • 1575 Words
    • 7 Pages

    A simple and understandable definition of lung cancer is: A disease which consists of uncontrolled cell growth in lung tissues. Lung cancer consists of two types: Non-small cell lung cancer, and small cell lung cancer. "(NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer." (Zieve & Yi-Bin, 2010) The bronchi (The large air tubes leading from the trachea to the lungs that convey air to and from the lungs.) is where most lung cancers begins. The body normally maintains cell growth only producing new cells when needed. Disruption of normal cell growth results in an uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells eventually forming a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant, but when we speak of cancer (including lung cancer), the tumors are malignant. Lung cancer metastasizes very early after it forms making it a very life-threatening cancer, difficult to treat.…

    • 1575 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    of cancers, which lung cancer is the most common, increase risk of a stroke, and physical…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Osteosarcoma Case Studies

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Risk factors include age, height, gender, ethnicity, radiation to bones, and certain bone diseases and syndromes…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lung Cancer Case Study

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages

    A 60-year-old patient presents for a routine checkup. He is a former cigarette smoker with a 60-pack-year smoking history, but he quit smoking 5 years ago. He denies any chest pain, cough, shortness of breath, or weight loss. Which of the following is the most appropriate screening method for lung cancer in this patient?…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, its deadly claws stretched over all continents in the world. Lung cancer is now the most prevalent form of cancer affecting Americans with an estimated 222,500 new cases every year, according to the American Cancer Society in 2010. A few symptoms of Lung cancer are: stubborn cough that will not quit, sometimes accompanied by a hoarse throat, pain in the chest and respiratory infections. As the cancer worsens and spreads the patient may experience: severe coughing, feelings of weakness and fatigue, and odd lumps appearing on the body.Although lung cancer is difficult to treat and cure, it is for the most part preventable. Lifestyle choices can be made which can…

    • 3941 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics