Lung Cancer Research Paper
Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that start off in one or both lungs. According to WebMD, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women, in the United States of America. Lung cancer causes more deaths than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined. This is tragic because it is one of the most preventable kinds of cancer. There are different types of lung cancer, and each has signs and symptoms, diagnostic tests and treatments for their type.
There are many factors that may increase the risk of lung cancer. Smoking, exposure to radon gas, harsh chemicals, excessive alcohol use, and family history are a few. Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers, whether it is the smoker or the people …show more content…
A nagging cough is one of the more common symptoms and is likely to happen when a tumor is large and blocks an air passage. Another symptom is chest, shoulder, or back pain, which feels like a constant ache that may or may not be related to coughing. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, fatigue, weight loss, repeated pneumonia or bronchitis, coughing up blood, hoarseness, unexplained weakness in the legs, or swelling of the neck and face. Sometimes there are symptoms that seem unrelated to the lungs. The primary lung cancer may have already spread to other parts of the body. Depending on where the cancer spreads and which organs are affected, symptoms can include pain, headaches, bleeding, weakness, bone fractures, or blood clots. As a result of the large size of the lungs, cancer may grow for many years, undetected, without causing suspicion. In fact, lung cancer can even spread outside the lungs without causing any symptoms. Early diagnosis can also be difficult because one of the most common symptoms of lung cancer, a persistent cough, is often mistaken for chronic …show more content…
Options typically include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or drug therapy. Surgery is performed to remove the tumor if there is no chance that the cancer has spread. If the disease has spread, then treatment will often include radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is based on the use of ionizing radiation to destroy cancerous cells. It may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor. After surgery it may be used to stop the growth of any cancer cells that remain. Chemotherapy refers to drugs that are used to treat cancer. These drugs are taken orally or intravenously and circulate throughout the bloodstream. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells as they travel through the bloodstream and into all the organs of the body. But, because they reach all the parts of your body, they also affect normal cells. Since cancer cells usually divide faster than normal cells, they are more likely to be damaged and destroyed by these drugs. Thus the drugs may kill the cancer cells or at least control the growth and spread of the tumor. In some cases, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are used together instead of
There are many factors that may increase the risk of lung cancer. Smoking, exposure to radon gas, harsh chemicals, excessive alcohol use, and family history are a few. Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers, whether it is the smoker or the people …show more content…
A nagging cough is one of the more common symptoms and is likely to happen when a tumor is large and blocks an air passage. Another symptom is chest, shoulder, or back pain, which feels like a constant ache that may or may not be related to coughing. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, fatigue, weight loss, repeated pneumonia or bronchitis, coughing up blood, hoarseness, unexplained weakness in the legs, or swelling of the neck and face. Sometimes there are symptoms that seem unrelated to the lungs. The primary lung cancer may have already spread to other parts of the body. Depending on where the cancer spreads and which organs are affected, symptoms can include pain, headaches, bleeding, weakness, bone fractures, or blood clots. As a result of the large size of the lungs, cancer may grow for many years, undetected, without causing suspicion. In fact, lung cancer can even spread outside the lungs without causing any symptoms. Early diagnosis can also be difficult because one of the most common symptoms of lung cancer, a persistent cough, is often mistaken for chronic …show more content…
Options typically include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or drug therapy. Surgery is performed to remove the tumor if there is no chance that the cancer has spread. If the disease has spread, then treatment will often include radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is based on the use of ionizing radiation to destroy cancerous cells. It may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor. After surgery it may be used to stop the growth of any cancer cells that remain. Chemotherapy refers to drugs that are used to treat cancer. These drugs are taken orally or intravenously and circulate throughout the bloodstream. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells as they travel through the bloodstream and into all the organs of the body. But, because they reach all the parts of your body, they also affect normal cells. Since cancer cells usually divide faster than normal cells, they are more likely to be damaged and destroyed by these drugs. Thus the drugs may kill the cancer cells or at least control the growth and spread of the tumor. In some cases, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are used together instead of