What is Cancer?

Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of out of control growth of abnormal cells.

Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. But a cancer cell continues to grow and divide, it is different from a normal cell. Instead of dying, cancer cells outlive normal cells and continue to form new abnormal cells.

In this article, we hope to talk about the signs and symptoms of lung cancer. First, we can discuss two major types of lung cancer.

What are the Two Major Types of Lung Cancer?

Think of your lungs as two sponge-like parts in your chest. The right lung has 3 parts, while the left has 2 because your heart needs space on that side. When you breathe, air enters through the trachea (windpipe), which splits into bronchi, then smaller branches called bronchioles.

At the end of the bronchioles are tiny air sacs known as alveoli. Many tiny blood vessels run through the alveoli, absorbing oxygen from the inhaled air into your bloodstream and releasing carbon dioxide.

Taking in oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide are your lungs’ main functions.

01. Small Cell Lung Cancer

About 10%-15% of all lung cancers are the small cell type (SCLC), named for the small cells that make up these cancers. SCLC tends to spread widely through the body This is important because it means that surgery is rarely an option (and never the only treatment given).

Treatment must include drugs to kill the widespread disease. The cancer cells can multiply quickly, form large tumors, and spread to lymph nodes and other organs such as the bones, brain, adrenal glands, and liver.

This type of cancer often starts in the bronchi near the center of the chest. Small cell lung cancer is almost always caused by smoking. It is very rare for someone who has never smoked to have small cell lung cancer. Other names for SCLC are oat cell carcinoma and small cell undifferentiated carcinoma.

02. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

About 85%-90% of lung cancers are non-small cell (NSCLC). There are 3 subtypes of NSCLC. The cells in these subtypes differ in size, shape, and chemical makeup when looked at under a microscope.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma:
About 25%- 30% of all lung cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. They are linked to a history of smoking and tend to be found centrally, near the bronchi.

Adenocarcinoma:
This type accounts for about 40% of lung cancers. It is usually found in the outer region of the lung. People with bronchioloalveolar adenocarcinoma (sometimes called bronchioalveolar carcinoma) tend to have a better outlook (prognosis) than those with other types of lung cancer.

Large-cell Undifferentiated Carcinoma:
This type of cancer accounts for about 10%-15% of lung cancers. It may appear in any part of the lung, and it tends to grow and spread quickly, resulting in a poor prognosis.

Let’s see what are the risk factors and causes for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

• 01. Tobacco Smoking

Smoking is by far the leading risk factor for lung cancer. At the beginning of the 20th century, lung cancer was a rare disease. The introduction of manufactured cigarettes, which made them readily available, changed this.

About 87% of lung cancers are thought to result from smoking and some of the rest from passive exposure to tobacco smoke. The longer you smoke and the more packs per day you smoke, the greater your risk.

• 02. Arsenic

High levels of arsenic in drinking water may increase the risk of lung cancer. This is even more pronounced in smokers.

• 03. Asbestos

If you are an asbestos worker, you are about 7 times more likely to die of lung cancer. Exposure to asbestos fibers is an important risk factor for lung cancer. And if you are or have been an asbestos worker who smokes, your lung cancer risk is 50 to 90 times greater than that of people in general.

• 04. Radiation Therapy to the Lungs

People who have had radiation therapy to the chest for cancer are at higher risk for lung cancer, particularly if they smoke. Typical patients are those treated for Hodgkin disease or women who receive radiation to the chest after a mastectomy for breast cancer.

Women who receive radiation therapy to the breast after a lumpectomy do not have a higher than expected risk of lung cancer. But if they smoke, their chance of lung cancer goes up markedly.

• 05. Personal and Family History of Lung Cancer

If a person’s first-degree relatives (siblings, parents) had lung cancer, that person’s chance of developing the disease doubles.

Can Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Be Detected Earlier?

Usually, symptoms of lung cancer do not appear until the disease is in an advanced stage. But some lung cancers are diagnosed early because they are found as a result of tests for other medical conditions.

Doctors often figure things out through tests like X-rays or CT scans of the chest. These images can help them see what’s going on inside.

They might also use a tiny camera on a flexible tube to peek inside your breathing tubes (that’s called bronchoscopy). And sometimes, they look at cells in mucus you cough up under a microscope (that’s sputum cytology). Even if these tests were done for different reasons in people with heart problems, pneumonia, or lung issues, they can still help find out what’s happening.

How to Prevent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer?

The best way to prevent lung cancer is to not smoke and to avoid breathing in other people’s smoke. If you already smoke, you should quit. You should also avoid breathing in other people’s smoke.

Likewise, working and living in an environment free of cancer-causing chemicals will also be helpful. A healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables may also help prevent this cancer.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer

• A cough that does not go away
• Chest pain, often aggravated by deep breathing, coughing, and even laughing
• Hoarseness
• Weight loss and loss of appetite
• Bloody or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)
• Shortness of breath
• Recurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia
• New onset of wheezing

When lung cancer spreads to distant organs, it may cause these effects:

• Bone pain
• Neurologic changes (such as headache, weakness or numbness of a limb, dizziness or recent onset of a seizure)
• Jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes)
• Masses near the surface of the body, due to cancer spreading to the skin or to lymph nodes (collections of immune system cells) in the neck or above the collarbone

Source: Quick Facts on Lung Cancer, American Cancer Society