| Understanding The Lungs and Lung Cancer |
| Written by Michael Kerry | |
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To understand lung cancer with its varied types, one must first understand a little about the lungs. We know, of course, that the lungs remove carbon dioxide from the bloodstream and that oxygen from inhaled air enters the bloodstream through the lungs. Do you know what your lungs are comprised of and how they function? The LungsYour right lung is made up of three lobes, or pieces but your left lung has only two lobes with an additional small piece called a lingula. The lingula operates much the same way as the middle lobe on the right side of your body.The main airways into the lungs are called bronchi and they turn into even smaller airways called bronchioles that end in little sacs called alveoli where the carbon dioxide and oxygen gases are exchanged. The pleura, is a name given to the thin layer of tissue that covers the chest wall and lungs. Lung Cancer and the LungsHaving said that, let’s find out where and how cancer gets started. First of all, cancer can start anywhere in the lungs, but something like 92% starts in the cells lining the large and small airways, or the bronchi and bronchioles.Cancer occurs when new cells divide and create more cells where no new cells are required. This creates or causes a mass of new cells, called a tumor. So lung cancer occurs when these new, unneeded cells form in the lungs, usually in the large and small airways. Sometimes the lung cancers that form on the bronchi and bronchioles are referred to as bronchogenic carcinomas. Carcinoma is another name for cancer. If cancer is detected on the pleura, or the thin tissue covering the chest wall and lungs, it is referred to as mesotheliomas. Non Small Cell Lung Cancer or NSCLCCancer of the lungs comes in two different types. The type that is the most common is called non small cell lung cancers or NSCLC for short. This category of cancer causes around 80% of all lung cancers. NSCLC has three sub-types based on the type of cells found in the tumor.These sub-types are called adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and large cell carcinomas and can combine or have other sub-types. These NSCLC type cancers can affect any part of the lung. Small Cell Lung Cancer or SCLCThe other type of lung cancer is called small cell lung cancers or SCLC for the short version. These lung cancers make up the other 20% of all lung cancers. However, SCLC is the more aggressive and rapid spreading cancer. This type generally spreads quickly to other parts of the body. Metastasis is the term used to describe the spreading of cancer.SCLC is the type of cancer that is directly connected with cigarette smoking. Only one percent of cancer patients who are non smokers will be diagnosed with this type of cancer. These small cell lung cancers are generally only found after they have spread though out the body, making them harder to control or treat. The SCLC type of cancer is often referred to as oat cell carcinomas because of their cell structure. Lung Cancer SymptomsThe trouble with all lung cancers is that any symptoms mimic several other diseases. What you think is a common cold, bronchitis, a cough, could be something entirely different and the lack of specific symptoms makes it very difficult to tell if you have lung cancer at all.Most of the symptoms associated with lung cancer can first be diagnosed as flu. These include fatigue, cough, and weakness. Even when there is pain involved, such as pain across the back and shoulders or even neck pain and chest pain, it can be diagnosed or thought to be something entirely different from lung cancer. Breathing difficulties, such as shortness of breath or wheezing, is often thought to be allergies or the beginning of a respiratory infection. There isn’t anything about these symptoms that point directly to lung cancer. Yet the symptoms you have for respiratory infection or bronchitis that won’t go away, are also the symptoms of lung cancer. The only way to diagnose lung cancer is to have a chest x-ray. If there is a spot on the lungs, the doctor will need to rule out old infection scars and other things that are not cancer. If there is a spot or section of the lungs that worry a doctor, they will order a biopsy to verify if the spot is cancer or not. There are many instances when the spot isn’t cancer, so it is important to have the biopsy in order to catch a cancer in its earliest stage. |
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