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Information on Lung Cancer
What You Need To Know About Lung Cancer
Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells donít function right, divide very fast and produce too much tissue that forms a tumor. A leading cause of cancer s in both men and women is probably lung cancer. This is the number one cause of cancer s surpassing breast cancer as the leading cause of s in women. Cancers that begin in the lungs are divided into two major types, the non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer depending on how the cells look under a microscope.
Cigarette smoking is known to be a cause of lung cancer. The risk of developing the disease increases with the number of cigarettes smoked particularly if the person starts to smoke at a young age. The personís risk of developing lung cancer may be reduced slightly if he smokes filtered and low tar cigarettes, but it is still far greater than that of a non-smoker. Lung cancer has always been more common in men, particularly those over the age of 40, as more men used to smoke than women. However, there are a growing number of women having lung cancer since women have started smoking. About 90% of all lung cancer s among women are from smoking. The risk of lung cancer goes down quite quickly if the person stops smoking and after about fifteen years, the personís chances of developing the disease are similar to that of a non-smoker. Passive smoking or the breathing in of other peopleís cigarette smoke slightly increases the risk of lung disease and lung cancer, although the risk is still much less than if you smoke yourself.
Usually, the symptoms of lung cancer do not appear until the disease is in an advanced stage. Some are diagnosed early because they are found as a result of tests for other medical conditions. Screening examinations are done to detect a disease in people without symptoms of the disease. And since lung cancer usually spreads beyond the lungs before causing any symptoms, an effective screening program to detect the cancer early could save many lives. So far there is no screening test that has been shown to prevent the ill person from of the cancer. It has been concluded that the tests could not find many lung cancers early enough to improve a personís chances for a cure. Because of this, lung cancer screening is not a routine practice for the general public or even for people at increased risk like smokers.
Symptoms of lung cancer could be continual coughing or a change in a long-standing cough; a chest infection that does not get better; increasing breathlessness; coughing up blood-stained phlegm; a dull ache or a sharp pain when coughing or taking a deep breath; and loss of appetite and loss of weight. If you think you have any of these symptoms, then it is important to have your condition checked by your doctor even if you know that any of these symptoms may be caused by an illness other than cancer.
Treatment for lung cancer could be through surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy which may be used separately or together depending on what your physician requires you to undergo. Basically, the doctor will plan your treatment, taking into account your general health condition, the type of lung cancer you have and the size of the tumor as well as its stage. There are differences in the treatment for different people depending on their needs. You should not be afraid to ask your doctor and it often helps making a lot of queries about the disease and your condition from your doctor.
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