Understanding Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the result of the abnormal and often times unstoppable growth of cell tissue. Uncontrolled division of cells causes an imbalance of tissues that eventually become tumors. While some tumor structures are benign, or non-cancerous, others are malignant, which result in them being called cancerous.

The lungs are a common organ of the body that is apt to undergo this abnormal replication of abnormal cell tissues. Lung cancer can strike any part of the lung, though ninety-five percent of all lung cancers are believed to occur in the lining cells of the large and small airways of the lungs.

However, some types of lung cancer, though much rarer, occur in the pleura, or the tissue that surrounds each lung, or in the supporting tissues of the lungs, including blood vessels.

Lung cancer causes the most deaths due to cancer in the world, and in the United States, nearly 200,000 deaths are blamed on this cancer each year. It's important to realize that before the 1930's, lung cancer wasn't very common, but ever since the increase in tobacco smoking, those numbers have dramatically increased and continue to rise.

Smoking is one of the major determiners for lung cancer, with roughly ninety-percent of lung cancers diagnosed as having directly resulted from smoking. Of those who smoke two or more packs of cigarettes a day, one in seven will most likely die.

Pipe and cigar smokers also develop lung cancer, though not in as high of numbers as those caused by cigarette smokers. The main cancer-causing ingredient of smoking is the tobacco, a known carcinogen, the two most common being nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Second-hand smoke is just as deadly for many who constantly breathe in other people's cigarette smoke, and of those non-smokers who live with a smoker, there is a twenty-four percent increase in their chances of developing lung cancer, and roughly 3,000 deaths a year are attributed to second hand smoke.

Other causes of lung cancer are materials such as asbestos and radon gas, common to those who work in uranium mines. Air pollution and contaminants produced by power generating plants around the world also increase the likelihood of developing lung cancer, though today, only about one percent of those who contract lung cancer do so through air pollution.

There are no symptoms of lung cancer, but for most, signs of cancer are first detected upon having a chest x-ray. However, as cancer spreads throughout the lungs, a person may develop shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain and experience coughing up blood.

As lung cancer spreads through the body, other body systems are affected and symptoms worsen. Don't take chances. If you experience any of the above symptoms, or others, like unexplained weight loss or chronic respiratory infections or chest colds, go see your doctor.

If caught early enough, lung cancer can be effectively treated. Be advised that survival rates for lung cancer are lower than for other forms of cancer, but the key to survival is catching it early. Don't mess around or waste time. If you smoke, or are around someone who does, get checked regularly for signs of possible lung cancer.

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Understanding Lung Cancer

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