The lungs are one of the key organs of the human body and any malfunction results in greater morbidity and more chances of death, resulting in unwanted living quality. The lung’s principal role is the exchange from the body to the atmosphere of carbon dioxide.
One of the deadliest cancers is lung cancer.
A pair of lungs is present in the body in the thoracic region its structural and functional unit is Alveoli. These alveoli are present in billions of counts. They are composed of air-filled sacs made up of thin membranes; any irritant causing the damage to these membranes causes the non-functionality of the lungs. Any damage caused to the alveoli/cells of the lungs leads to the deadly disease called Lung Cancer.
In lung cancer the Major irritant causing the disease is Smoke. 80% of lung cancer patients are tobacco consumers. Any persons who smoke cigarettes or are exposed to smoke for a prolonged period of time are predisposed to the disease but this is not the only cause of the disease. Many persons who are suffering from lung cancer have never smoked cigarettes or been exposed to secondary smoke.
Many risk factors contribute to non-smoking lung cancer which includes
- Pollution of air
- Exposure to any chemical irritant
- Any genetic abnormality
- Lung cells sensitivity to irritants
- Gene changes with age
- Exposure to diesel exhaust
- Asbestos contamination with inhaled air
- Changes in DNA of lung cells
- Inherited genes
- Exposure to secondhand smoke for a prolonged period of time.
- Previous radiation therapy
In the early stages of this cancer symptoms[i] and signs of disease are not prominent which leads to the advancement of disease if it goes undiagnosed for a long period of time leading to exacerbation of the disease. Normally the symptoms and signs which goes unnoticed are
- Unusual cough
- Difficulty breathing
- Tightness in the chest
- Sudden weight loss
- Redness or swelling over extremities of the body
- Deep bone pains
- Excessive sweating in palms od hands and sole of feet’s
- Blisters formation on legs or arms
- Paleness
- Wheezing while breathing
If these symptoms go undiagnosed for a long time it leads to the disease getting complicated with many other effects, the symptoms then become,
- Coughing up of blood
- Accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity
- Difficulty in breathing
- Spreading of cancer to other parts of the body
- Poor circulation of blood
- Secondary damage to other body organs due to less supply of oxygen
- Severe Pain in Abdominal Region.
Lung cancer has been divided into many types depending upon its origin, morphology, and many other factors. Types are explained as following
- lung nodules
- non-small cell lung cancer
- small cell lung cancer
- mesothelioma
The formation of masses in the lungs are called lung nodules, they can go from one part of the body to the other. They mostly are cancer-causing. The severity of the disease is related to the size of the nodule.
The most common type of lung cancer is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Its growth and time taken to spread to other body parts are slower than any other type of lung cancer. It is further divided into other 3 types which are based on the cellular structure of abnormal cells of the lungs.
- Adenocarcinoma
- Large cell carcinomas
- Squamous cell carcinoma
The most common type of non-small cell lung cancer is Adenocarcinoma in the Population of the United States and the most common type of cancer in people who are nonsmokers.
Large cell carcinomas are by the name tells huge in size and don’t spread from one part to another part of the body but they grow really fast.
The other name of Squamous cell carcinoma is epidermis carcinoma. It gets its root in the bronchi and spreads from here.
The treatment for non-small cell lung cancers is given in many options; surgery is mostly used for the removal of cancer. Surgery in combination with radiation therapy can also be used as adjuvant therapy for better results and chemotherapy can also be added to the therapeutic regimen of lung cancers that are more complicated and advanced to get optimum results. Before starting the treatment neoadjuvant therapy can be given to lessen the size or shrinkage of cancer to prevent cancer to spread to other parts of the body/organs through the blood circulation.
Small Cell Lung Cancer is the type of lung cancer that occurs due to smoking tobacco cigarettes. It grows very quickly and spreads to other parts of the body at an exponential rate. There are two different types of small cell lung cancer:
- Small cell carcinoma
- Combined cell carcinoma
As Small cell lung cancer [ii]spreads quickly to the other parts of the body so for the treatment of this type of cancer surgery is not a convenient option of treatment. In this case, Chemotherapy is the best option for the optimum therapeutics because they can circulate by the blood circulation to all parts of the body meanwhile killing all the infective cancerous cells which spread from the body.
Alongside chemotherapy, radiotherapy is also used to treat cancer it also helps with the spreading of the disease itself to many vital organs like the brain. In radiotherapy, X-rays are used and they are targeted at the cancer cells leading to the exclusion of cancer cells. This therapy is also used in those patients in whom surgical treatment is not an option.
Exposure to asbestos causes Mesothelioma which is a rare form of cancer also known as chest wall lining cancer.it forms very slowly likely in 3-4 decades. Exposure to this deadly chemical happens anywhere where the air is polluted with asbestos or in the workplace. The treatment of mesothelioma includes combined treatment of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Other medical interpretations are also under research study for the treatment of this type of cancer.
Some non-smoking lung cancers could be characterized as metastasized Cancer which means they could be originated in any other part of the body and travelled to lungs through blood circulation or human body lymphatic system. Forms of cancers that may spread to lungs are:
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Cancer in kidney
- Colon cancer
- Prostate cancer
[i] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lung-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20374620
[ii] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323701
