Information on Types and Treatment of Lung Cancer

Information on Types and Treatment of Lung Cancer

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.

Lung cancers manifest with symptoms produced by the primary tumor, locoregional spread, metastatic disease, or ectopic hormone production. See Image 1 for a summary of all signs and symptoms. Approximately 7-10% of patients with lung cancer are asymptomatic and their cancers are diagnosed incidentally after a chest radiograph (CXR) performed for other reasons. The symptoms produced by the primary tumor depend on its location (ie, central, peripheral).

There are two main types of lung cancer, small cell and non small cell. Small cell is faster growing but chemo is quite successful with it… I know several people that are presently N.E.D. (no evidence of disease) that have small cell lung cancer. Its very rare to have surgery with small cell as its usually metastized by the time of diagnosis.

Every smoker is at risk for lung cancer. It is estimated that 87% of all cases of lung cancer are caused by cigarette smoking. The major risk factor for lung cancer is cigarette smoking. Your risk of getting lung cancer from cigarette smoking increases the longer you smoke, the more you smoke, and the deeper you inhale. Smoking low tar cigarettes does not prevent you from getting lung cancer. Importantly, if you quit smoking, your risk of getting lung cancer declines.

Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking, is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. The number of deaths per year from smoking exceeds the number of deaths per year from all accidents, suicides, drug use, homicides and AIDS combined. An estimated 45 million U.S. adults are smokers, and more than a third of all U.S. high school students smoke cigarettes.

Normal cells become cancer cells because the genes inside them are damaged.  In most cases of lung cancer, smoking causes this gene damage.  Cancer Research UK is investigating this gene damage.  We are researching why some smokers get cancer and some don’t.  If we know more about the genes that are damaged, it may help prevent the disease in the future.

Women with lung cancer now have more treatment choices and hope than ever before. Doctors keep finding ways to improve treatments for lung cancer and ways to help women with lung cancer have better lives. We are continually learning more about lung cancer, its prevention, detection, and treatment. This section of CancerSource will discuss all of these areas. The Lung Cancer section below discusses what we know about lung cancer in general, as well as its prevention and detection.

As is true of many cancers, the treatment of lung cancer depends upon a variety of factors. The most important factors are the histopathologic (diseased tissue) type of tumor that is present and its stage.