What is Lung Cancer?
The main function of the lungs is to help in our normal breathing process. Lung cancer is caused by the abnormal cell growth in both or either one of our lungs. This abnormal growth of cells cause disruption in the normal functioning of the lung cells. As these cells grow, they can cause tumors and prevent the normal day to day function of the lungs which is to provide oxygen to the body through the blood maintaining our proper breathing function.
What are the different types of Lung Cancer?
- Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) – It is a less common form of lung cancer however it is a fast growing cancer that spreads rapidly to the rest of the body
- Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) – Most common form of lung cancer and is typically slower than SCLC
What are the symptoms of Lung Cancer?
- Persistent coughing
- Coughing up blood
- Pain in the chest from constant coughing
- Loss of apetite
- Feeling tired and weakness in limbs
- Pain in the back or hip area
Diagnosis
If your doctor suspects that you might have lung cancer, he may first make you go through an initial screening process which includes tests like a CT Scan, MRI or a PET Scan. If your doctor wants to further do diagnosis about your condition, he may conduct a biopsy. A biopsy can only be performed by a surgeon and it involves taking a piece of the lung tissue by passing a needle through the skin into the lungs.
Treatment
Lung cancer can be treated in various ways depending on what kind of lung cancer it is and how far it has spread. People will SCLC are treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy whereas people who have NSCLC have to be treated with surgery, chemotherapy or/and radiation therapy.
Surgery: This process involves cutting away tissues from the body
Chemotherapy: This type of treatment involves a medicine or a different medicines to treat the cancer
Radiation Therapy: This treatment involves using radiation with high energy to treat the cancer