According to the World Health Organisation, November is lung health month. Am going to be focusing on lung cancer in this post. Lung cancer is the most common cause of death due to cancer in both men and women all over the world; A lot of people do not necessarily know about it. Lung cancer is a very versatile topic; I'll try my best to write as much as i can on Lung health in general with the following series of post.
According to source:
Lung cancer, also known as Lung Carcinoma, is a malignant lung tumor characterised by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth can spread beyond the lung by the process of metastasis into nearby tissues or other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in the lung, known as primary lung cancers are carcinomas. The two main types are small cell lung carcinoma(SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The most common symptoms are coughing (including coughing up blood), weight loss, shortness of breath and chest pain.
Cancer that starts in the lung is called primary lung cancer. If the cancer spreads to your lungs from somewhere else in your body, this is secondary lung cancer.
Can I Develop Lung Cancer
Well, that depends on a couple of factors.The activities and habits you indulge in daily will play a large determining role. Some factors that might increase your risk of developing lung cancer are discussed below.
Smoking: Am sure everyone must have heard the saying Smoking kills; take that saying very serious because it really does kill. 90% of lung cancers arise as a result of tobacco use. The risk of cancer increases with the rate at which you smoke. Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemical compounds, many of which have been shown to be cancer causing or carcinogenic.
Passive Smoking: This is basically inhaling the smoke from other people's tobacco use. You might not be a smoker, but if you are generally surrounded by smokers, then you are passively smoking. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if your in this situation; you have a 24% increased risk compared to an average non smoker.
Exposure to Radon Gas: Radon gas is a natural radioactive gas, that is a natural decay product of uranium that emits a type of ionizing radiation. This gas is estimated to cause 12% of lung cancer deaths. Inhalation of this gas coupled with smoking greatly increases your chances. This gas is invisible and odorless, but it can be detected with simple test kits.
Asbestos Fiber: These are silicate fibers that can persist for a life time in lung tissue following exposure to asbestos. Previously, asbestos was widely used as both thermal and acoustic insulation. It has been banned in most countries due to its association with lung cancer. However, workers who were once exposed to asbestos and still smoke till date have a higher chance of developing lung cancer.
I know an ardent smoker who's still healthy!
Majority of lung cancers are associated with tobacco smoking; the fact that not all chain smokers eventually develop lung cancer tells us there are other factors involved. **Individual genetic susceptibility **plays a huge role. A smoker whose family member have had or is treating lung cancer is at higher risk to develop it. A non-smoker whose family member has had lung cancer is also at a higher risk compared to an average non-smoker with no previous family ailment. Lung cancer like many other types of cancer is hereditary.
Exposure to Air Pollution and other types of lung diseases(like tuberculosis) also increases your risk of developing lung cancer.
Some types of lung cancer have been linked to a type of virus that causes cervical cancer and breast cancer.
When should I see my Doctor?
Generally, it is advisable to always see your doctor for routine check up. There are also some symptoms you should keep an eye on.
Some lung cancer patients generally experience no symptoms(although this depends on how wide spread the cancer is) and the cancer is only detected with a routine x-ray(this is why your routine check up is very important).
See your doctor immediately if you experience chronic cough,blood in the sputum,repeated respiratory infections,chest pain and unexplained weight loss.
The symptoms are not limited to these so see your doctor anytime you notice something unusual.
How do i reduce my risk?
Quit smoking! Seriously, stop. It'll save your life. Do not expose yourself to passive smoking. There are also simple test kits to test for radon gas in the home.Radon is gas is odorless and colourless so it's very important to test your home. There are methods that allow early detection of lung cancer. This can be very useful because early detection allows corrective surgery beforethe cancer spreads.
There are lots of ways to treat lung cancer. Treatment generally depends on how advanced and the type of lung cancer it is. Chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are some common treatments. Please refer here for more details.
There is a slight chance of survival if lung cancer is treated early and promptly. Generally people who have suffered lung cancer do not live more than 5 more years(this fact is subject to how early the cancer is detected and how it is treated)
Conclusion
Statistics from the American Cancer Society estimated that in 2016 about 224,000 new cases of lung cancer in the U.S. occurred and over 158,000 deaths were due to the disease. And this is just in the U.S alone. Lung cancer is so lethal yet can easily be misdiagnosed or go unnoticed. Now may be a good time to give yourself a health check up.See your General Practitioner If you have any symptoms that does not seem to be going away on their own.
Thanks for reading
Please let me know your thoughts and experience with general lung health in the comment section.
Reference:
All you need to know about lung cancer
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