#1 Lung Cancer Symptom and Lung Cancer Treatment

The best ways to prevent or reduce your chances of developing Lung Cancer (and a range of other health related issues) are:
Give up smoking - the sooner the better
Avoid exposure to Second Hand Smoke
Avoid exposure to carcinogenic substances
Avoid exposure to asbestos, radon, and similar substances
Avoid exposure to excessive pollution
Avoid exposure to harmful diseases

Stop smoking - the sooner the better!
Reducing your smoking is better than nothing, but the best option is to stop smoking altogether. Recent research indicates changing to low tar and low nicotine cigarettes have little, if any, affect on improving the health prospects of a smoker. 

Sadly, it appears another generation of smokers have been deceived by profit hungry tobacco companies, believing these lighter cigarettes are more healthy than the heavier cigarettes. The best way to prevent lung cancer and a range of other serious health complications is to stop smoking, or better yet, never start smoking in the first place. 

The sooner a person quits smoking the better their prospects for a healthy future.  Even if someone has been smoking for many years, it’s never too late to benefit from quitting.

Avoid exposure to Second Hand Smoke
Passive smokers may be more likely than smokers to develop lung cancer and other health issues because the smoke is entering their lungs unfiltered.  Such Passive Smoking is also known as Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) or second-hand smoke. 

In Europe, USA, UK, Australia, and many other places in the world, significant steps have been taken in recent times to reduce people s exposure to second-hand smoke by banning smoking on or near restaurants, bars, work places, airline flights, trains, buses etc. As other countries follow suit, the health problems and health costs caused by passive smoking should be greatly reduced.

Avoid exposure to excessive pollution
It is highly unlikely that traffic exhaust, pollution from factories and industries, and so on will ever improve your health.  Indeed, there is mounting evidence that exposure to smoke and other by products

Avoid exposure to asbestos, radon, and similar substances
These substances have all been linked to lung cancer and other serious health issues, so avoiding contact with these is good for your health. Most hardware stores sell an easy to use and inexpensive Radon Detection kit which allows people to measure radon levels in their homes. 

This allows people to identify any Radon related issues in their homes and take corrective action to remove the Radon. Once the radon is removed, the hazard is gone for good. 

To find out if your house or building contains asbestos, you can enlist the services of a licensed professional asbestos inspector.  They will complete a thorough inspection and provide recommendations and, if your building contains no asbestos, issue an Asbestos Clearance Certificate.

Avoid exposure to carcinogenic substances
These substances are definitely known to cause cancer, so avoid all contact with these at all costs.  Banned carcinogenic substances have been found in tobacco and cigarettes.  In addition, there have been numerous cases where carcinogenic substances and banned carcinogenic substances have been found in food products from 3rd world countries.

Avoid exposure to harmful diseases, such as Tuberculosis (TB).
Or, if there is a chance that you could develop these diseases, then ensure that you are vaccinated against them.  Bacillus Calmette Gu rin (BCG) is a type of bacteria that is used in cancer treatment to stimulate the immune system.  It is also used to vaccinate against tuberculosis.

If lung cancer is suspected, then an immediate medical diagnosis is required as this is a life threatening disease which can quickly spread.

To help discover the cause for any symptoms suffered by a patient, a doctor will initially discuss and evaluate the patient’s medical history, smoking history, exposure to environmental and occupational substances, and family history of cancer. The doctor will also perform a basic physical examination of his patient using the following methods.
Listening to their breathing with a stethoscope.
Carry out tests to measure breathing capacity and lung function.
Check for swollen armpit and neck lymph nodes.
Examine the patient’s mid-section for signs of an enlarged liver or any unusual masses that can be indicative of a tumour.

Depending on how this assessment goes, the doctor may then complete other tests to determine the cause of the symptoms being presented by the patient,   For example, if lung cancer is suspected, various preliminary tests may be performed, such as:

Chest X-Ray
Chest X-Rays are commonly used as an initial test when doctors suspect lung cancer. A chest x-ray uses small carefully doses of radiation to take a picture of the inside of the chest cavity. Tumours possibly will be seen on a chest x-ray as dark areas on the x-ray, however some patients have tumours too small or hidden by a bone and are not seen.

Sputum Cytology
Sputum is mucus from the lungs. Sputum Cytology is a microscopic examination of sputum cells obtained from a deep-cough sample, and this is often useful in detecting the presence of lung cancer.  The most effective method for this test is to collect and analyse the sputum each morning for three days.

Lung Tissue Biopsy
To confirm the presence of lung cancer, a pathologist will examine a tissue sample taken directly from the lung.  When examined under a microscope, the pathologist will be able to determine whether a person has cancer.  Various methods may be used to obtain the required lung tissue sample:
Bronchoscopy: where a long, thin, flexible, tube with a small light and camera on the end, called a bronchoscope, is inserted into the mouth or nose and down through the windpipe to look at the breathing passages and lungs.  A needle inserted through this tube, can enable the doctor to collect and retrieve small samples of tissue which can then be examined under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
Needle Aspiration: where a needle is inserted through the chest into the tumour to collect and retrieve a sample of tissue which can then be examined under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
Thoracentesis: where a needle is used to collect and retrieve a sample of the fluid that collects in the area between the lungs and the chest wall, and this can then be examined under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
Thoracotomy / Thoracoscopy: where chest surgery is used to examine the lung tissue to check for the presence of lung cancer.  This procedure is a major operation performed in a hospital under general anaesthesia.
Mediastinoscopy: An endoscope which is a device with a light attached is inserted into the mediastinum to decide whether cancer cells have spread to the trachea. This procedure is performed while the patient is under anaesthesia.

By using the above techniques, the presence of lung cancer can either be confirmed or discounted.  If lung cancer is confirmed then further tests can be carried out to identify the extent of the disease while appropriate treatment is undertaken to combat the affliction. If lung cancer is discounted, then further tests can be carried out to identify the cause of the symptoms.

Researchers have associated various risk factors and causes with lung cancer, and most are related to smoking. However, the chances of developing lung cancer can also be increased by:
Smoking
Exposure to Radon
Exposure to Asbestos
Exposure to Pollution
Exposure to certain diseases
Family or Personal History of cancer
Age

If you are exposed to any of the above, and you also smoke, then you are far more likely to develop lung cancer and other serious health issues.

In this article, we discuss pollution, disease, age, and family or personal history of cancer.

Various researches have identified a link between lung cancer and exposure to certain air pollutants, such as smoke and the other by-products of the combustion of diesel and other fossil fuels.

The smoke from the burning of these substances contains particles that can irritate sensitive lung tissue, causing long term damage over time. In addition, these products may contain the residue of pesticides, fertilisers, or other harmful chemicals and substances that can irritate sensitive lung tissue, and cause cancer and a range of other serious health issues. 

These products may also contain carcinogens, which are chemicals and substances that are known to cause cancer. Any living human tissue exposed to these substances and chemicals can develop cancer, including, but not limited to, the lungs, mouth, and throat.

Arsenic, asbestos, uranium, radon, and diesel fuel have all been linked to lung cancer.

In addition to pollution, exposure to various lung diseases, such as Emphysema and Tuberculosis (TB), can greatly increase a person’s chances of developing lung cancer.  Lung cancer often tends to develop in areas of the lung that are affected and scarred from these diseases.  Bacillus Calmette Gu rin (BCG) is a type of bacteria that is used in cancer treatment to stimulate the immune system. It is also used to vaccinate against tuberculosis.

In addition to the above factors, a person who has a history of lung cancer is more likely to develop other cancers. For example, a person who has had lung cancer in one lung is more likely to develop a lung cancer in the other lung. Quitting smoking, even after the initial lung cancer has been diagnosed, may prevent the development of a second lung cancer.

Scientists have not yet identified a gene or genes linked directly to lung cancer.  Some researchers believe that susceptibility to lung or other types of cancer may run in families and be passed onto offspring. However, further research is required to determine this. Even if this does turn out to be true, it is believed that familial lung cancer would account for no more than 1-2% of lung cancers.

Age is another risk factor for lung cancer. The likelihood of developing lung cancer increases with age. Very few people under 40 years of age have lung cancer, in fact; only 1 in 3,000 people aged under 40 have lung cancer. In the 40-59 age groups, approximately 1 in 100 people have lung cancer.  Whilst in the 60 and over age group, 1 in 20 people have lung cancer.

Researchers around the world continue to study the causes of lung and other cancers and to search for ways to prevent or cure them. The best way to prevent lung cancer and a range of other serious health complications is to stop smoking, or never start smoking in the first place!

The sooner a person stops smoking the better their prospects for a healthy future.  Even if someone has been smoking for many years, it’s never too late to benefit from quitting as after a time, the effects of the smoking can wear off and the lungs benefit.