Facts about Lung Cancer

What is lung cancer?
Cancer is a class of diseases resulting from uncontrollable cell growth that does not die. Naturally, regular cells follow a process which is growth, division and death. When this process is interrupted, that is instead of the cells dying, it grows continuously and divides, forming lumps of tissues called tumors, cancer begins, because the tumor interferes with the function of the lungs which is to provide the blood stream with oxygen for the entire body.

 Types of Tumors

 Benign Tumor – This is when a tumor stays in a spot demonstrating limited growth

 Malignant Tumor – This is formed when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body through the blood stream

 When it spreads and continues to grow destroying healthy tissues then the tumor is said to have metastasized

Malignant tumors are very difficult to treat

 Lung cancer is said to be of the lungs when the cancer originates with the lungs

 The list of those diagnosed of lung cancer keeps increasing everyday. In 2007 statistics shows that of all the people diagnosed of cancer 15% of them have lung cancer and of all cancer death recorded, 29% were of lung cancer

 Lung cancer is presently the leading cause of death for men and second cause of death for women. The rise in the rate of lung cancer can be attributed to the rise in the number of smokers. We only hope that the numbers will reduce in the future since serious awareness programs are now being carried out

 Lung cancer is almost always found in older people (60 and above) that is because it takes a long period for it to develop

 Classification of Lung Cancer

 Lung cancer is classified into two parts:

• Non – small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
•  Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

The Non small cell lung cancer is the most common and is responsible for 80% of lung cancer cases while the small cell lung cancer is responsible for 20%

 There are four different types of Non – small cell lung cancer and they are as follows:

• Squamous cell carcinoma
•  Adenocarcinoma
• Bronchioalveolar carcinoma (small cell or oat cell)
• Large – cell undifferentiated carcinoma

 More than 95 percent of lung cancers belong to the bronchogenic carcinoma . The small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is of small cells that multiply rapidly forming large tumor that moves through the body system. Smoking is largely responsible for SCLC

 

It is essential that a person knows the kind of lung cancer he/she has because just as there are different types of cancers, symptoms varies and so is it treatments.