What is lung cancer?
Lung cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs. These abnormal cells often grow together in clumps called tumors. The tumors destroy and replace normal, healthy tissue and interfere with organ function. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every year, lung cancer kills more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer combined. Today, substantially more women die from lung cancer that from breast cancer. It is firmly established that the overwhelming majority of lung cancers are caused by smoking cigarettes. Other important risk factors are exposure to asbestos fibers, natural radon gas or air pollution. Unfortunately, lung cancer is usually detected late in the course of the disease. When the first symptoms occur, such as a cough, the cancer has often already grown to an advanced stage and can rarely be cured (over 85% five year mortality).
Lung cancer is cancer that usually starts in the lining of the bronchi (the main airways of the lungs), but can also begin in other areas of the respiratory system, including the trachea, bronchioles, or alveoli. It is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. In 2006, 174,470 new cases of lung cancer are expected, according to the American Cancer Society. Lung cancers are believed to develop over a period of many years. Nearly all lung cancers are carcinomas, cancers that begin in the lining or covering tissues of an organ. The tumor cells of each type of lung cancer grow and spread differently, and each type requires different treatment. More than 95 percent of lung cancers belong to the group called bronchogenic carcinoma. Lung cancers are generally divided into two types: • Non-small cell lung cancer is more common than small cell lung cancer. There are several types of non-small cell lung cancer, named for the type of cells found in the tumor: • Squamous cell carcin
Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells don’t function right, divide very fast, and produce too much tissue that forms a tumor. The lungs, a pair of sponge-like, cone-shaped organs, are part of the body’s respiratory system. When we breathe in, the lungs take in oxygen, which our cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. When we breathe out, the lungs get rid of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of the body’s cells. Cancers that begin in the lungs are divided into two major types, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, depending on how the cells look under a microscope. Each type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways and is treated differently.
Lung cancer is the most frequently occurring cancer in the US, accounting for 30% of all diagnosed cancer. The largest number of asbestos related deaths occurs from lung cancer. Most lung cancer caused by asbestos inhalation starts in the lining of the bronchi, the tubes that lead from the windpipe into each lung. Lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure can also begin in the windpipe itself, the bronchioles, smaller tubes which branch off from the bronchi, or in the alveoli. Lung cancer tends to metastasize, spreading to other organs of the body, such as the brain or the liver. Workers with long exposure asbestos have 3 to 4 times greater risk of developing lung cancer than workers who have not been exposed to asbestos. Asbestos workers who smoke tobacco increase their risk of getting lung cancer by a factor of 50 to 100. Common symptoms include a persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, hoarseness, and anemia.
