LUNG CANCER
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both women and
men in the United States and throughout the world. It’s the
number one cause of cancer deaths in men and recently passed breast
cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. However, early
detection and treatment make the difference.
Causes
The most significant cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoking. Cigarette
smoke has more than 4,000 chemicals that can cause cancer. If you
smoke more than 1 pack of cigarettes a day, you’re 20-25 times
more
likely to develop lung cancer than if you never smoked. Quitting is
a good way to lower your chances of developing this disease.
Other causes of lung cancer include passive smoking. A person regularly exposed to second hand smoke has twice the risk of developing lung cancer than someone not regularly exposed to smoke.
Besides smoking, there are other contributors such as air pollution,
asbestos exposure, lung disease, tuberculosis (TB), chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) and radon exposure. Some occupations
where exposure to arsenic, chromium, nickel, aromatic hydrocarbons,
and ethers occurs can also increase the risk of lung cancer.
We know a lot about what causes lung cancer and we can all make choices that will contribute to our longevity. It’s important to know the dangers and protect yourself from the carcinogens that can do damage.
Symptoms
Early detection is very difficult because symptoms don’t appear until the disease is in advanced stages. In fact, 1/4 of people diagnosed have no symptoms. So it’s very important to pay attention to your body and tell your physician about any persistent problems.
Symptoms depend on the location of the tumor and can include:
• A new cough in a smoker or a former smoker
• A persistent cough
• Coughing up blood
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing or hoarseness
• Chronic respiratory infections, such as bronchitis or pneumonia
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
Diagnosis
Usually your physician will do a general check-up, obtain and review
medical history, get blood work and then refer you to a hospital for
x-rays and any other tests you may need.
Imaging tests
There are several techniques to diagnose lung cancer. Certain imaging
tests can help pinpoint abnormalities in the lungs.
• Chest x-rays
• CT scans
• MRIs
• Low dose Helical CT exposes the patient to less radiation
than a CT scan and gives a better picture than a traditional x-ray.
When a CT scan alone can’t identify the tumor, a PET (positron emission tomography) scan can be run in conjunction with the CT scan for more improved results. It can pick up the metabolic signal of growing cancer cells to better define the details of the tumor. This procedure is more enhanced and can pave the road for superior treatment.
Sputum testing
Sputum is thick mucus that may be produced during a cough. Cells in
the sputum can be examined to see if they are cancerous. This is called
cytologic review.
Doctors may perform a bronchoscopy to examine the bronchial passage. In this procedure, a small tube is inserted through the mouth or nose, down the throat to the bronchi and tissue is extracted and analyzed.
Biopsies
Some other areas of the lung can’t be reached during a bronchoscopy.
In this instance, a needle biopsy can be performed to remove tissue
for analysis.
Treatment
Treatment varies based on the type and stage of the lung cancer.
The most widely used therapies for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy,
and radiation therapy or a combination of the three.
Minimal invasive surgery
Lung cancer surgery can be a major event with long recovery times.
However, in some cases minimally invasive surgery is appropriate.
Surgeons can use thoracoscopy or video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS).
With VATS, surgeons insert an illuminating tube through a small incision
into the lungs and operate with robotic assistance. With this surgery,
the incision is much smaller and healing time and recovery is reduced.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells and stop their growth.
It
flows through the bloodstream and affects both cancerous and healthy
cells. If there is damage to the healthy cells, patients may experience
common side effects like hair loss, nausea and fatigue.
Chemotherapy offers superb results and in some cases can eliminate
the cancer before surgery is even performed. It is often used even
after a tumor is removed to kill cancer cells that may be present
in nearby tissues or elsewhere in the body.
We know first hand the effects chemotherapy can have on your body.
That’s why we continuously research anti-nausea techniques and
medications to counter the effects of this treatment so you can lead
a normal life during treatment.
Radiation
Radiation therapy uses radiation beams to precisely target the tumor.
This method doesn’t affect the cells throughout the body like
chemotherapy. However, it does affect the healthy tissues overlying
or directly adjacent to the tumor. Because radiation doses are targeted
primarily at the tumor, less wear and tear is put on the other organs
in the chest.
Radiation therapy treatments are delivered in a series of daily sessions.
Each treatment itself is painless and will last less than 30 minutes,
Monday through Friday, for several weeks.