Lung Cancer Awareness: Things Everyone should know about Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer that exists. It generally occurs with smokers, but there are also cases of non-smokers having it. This may be due to passive smoking, air pollution, or even inhaling diesel exhaust at the workplace. Lung cancers found in non-smokers generally occur within individuals from a younger demographic profile and often have changes in the mutated genes when compared to smokers with lung cancer. At times, some people inherit these mutated genes that increase the risk of having lung cancer. However, these inherited mutations alone aren’t always the cause.

Lung cancer starts from the tissues present in the lungs, which are usually from cells lining the air passageways. There are two main types of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer that are identified based on how the cells look under a microscope. 

Recent studies state that more than 80% of all lung cancers are the non-small cell type. Lung cancers generally affect men more than women, and this is not unlikely because more men smoke than women. However, many don’t know that lung cancer is the leading number of cancer deaths in women, even though only 20% of these women smoke.

Though lung cancer is so common, there is not much knowledge available about it. Most of the information present is derived from people who are already inflicted with it. Due to this, there are a lot of events hosted to help spread awareness, like World Cancer Day, which is celebrated on the 4th of February. 

There are other campaigns like Cancer Awareness and Fight Against Cancer that helps as well. Apart from this, many lung cancer doctors offer help and guidance to those who have cancer. However, since one can never know enough, here are some facts you should know about lung cancer

Symptoms in Regards to Lung Cancer

As lung cancer has the highest kill rate among the various forms of cancer, an individual is dying somewhere around the globe every 30 seconds. Faster than it can be detected, this type of cancer spreads easily as the symptoms are very common. These include:

• A cough that gets worse every day.
• Coughing up blood.
• Chest pain that keeps getting worse.
• Fatigue and continuous breathlessness.
• Loss of appetite that leads to excessive weight loss.
• Continuous breathlessness.

Lung cancer can be detected early if everyone looks out for these signs and then visits the nearest oncologist or cancer center to get treatment.

What Causes Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is mainly caused by smoking; however, some non-smokers also suffer from it. Heavy smokers have a 50% chance of being diagnosed with lung cancer, and only by quitting is when the chance is reduced by half. Non-smokers can also be afflicted through other risk factors. These include passive smoking, exposure to harmful gases at work like arsenic and coal fume, and Radon, which is a radioactive gas that can sometimes be found in construction sites.

The Stages of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer can be categorized into four stages, which are

• Stage 1: The cancer is found within the lung alone.
• Stage 2: The cancer is found within the lung and any nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage 3: The cancer is within the lung and the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest.
• Stage 3A: The cancer is found inside the lymph nodes, but only on the same side where it initially started growing.
• Stage 3B: Cancer has already spread to the lymph nodes on the other side of the chest.
• Stage 4: Cancer has spread to both of the lungs, its surrounding areas, and surrounding organs.

Methods of Treatment for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer can be treated using various methods like radiation therapy and chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells, targeted therapy to prevent the growth and spread of cancer, and even surgery to cut out the cancer tissue. Apart from this, countering the symptoms at home can also help reduce the progression of cancer.

Lung cancer in India has a 9.3% death rate that has led to the establishment and development of many institutes and facilities to counter it. Dr. Manish Kumar Singhal is a renowned oncologist currently residing at Cancer Consult India and is also the Head of the Medical Oncology Department & Senior Consultant Medical Oncology Apollo Hospital. He has an extremely motivated team of cancer specialists in Delhi, as well as top-notch treatment facilities. Due to his hard work and expertise, Dr. Manish Singhal is considered the best lung cancer doctor in Delhi NCR.