Health News

Lung Cancer Risks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 17:43:00 +0000

Lung Cancer Risks

Because our lungs draw in and utilize the air from outside of our body, anything that we breathe in can affect their health. The most important risk factor for lung cancer is smoking tobacco. Nearly 87% of all lung cancers in the United States are smoking-related. Quitting smoking helps to reduce that risk.

Exposure to secondhand smoke also increases the risk of lung cancer. Secondhand smoke also increases the risk of heart disease and other ailments.

Other environmental substances or exposures that can increase the risk of developing lung cancer include:

Asbestos are tiny, hair-like fibers found in some types of rock. Asbestos is a natural mineral that is fireproof and insulating and was used in building construction materials and in some manufacturing processes. When asbestos is inhaled, the fibers can irritate the lung and may eventually cause lung disease. People who smoke and are exposed to asbestos have a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Fortunately, professional protective breathing equipment can reduce the risk of breathing in asbestos fibers for those who work with or around asbestos.
Radon is an odorless gas released by some soil and rocks that contain uranium. Some homes may have high levels of radon, especially on the lower levels, because they are built on soil that naturally contains radon. You can purchase Environmental Protection Agency-approved kits in hardware stores to measure the amount of radon in your home.
Industrial substances can include arsenic, uranium, beryllium, vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas, chloromethyl ethers, gasoline, and diesel exhaust.
Radiation exposure such as X-rays to the chest area can increase the risk of lung cancer, especially in people who smoke.
Air pollution can contain trace amounts of diesel exhaust, coal products, and other industrial substances.
Tuberculosis can cause scarring of lung tissue, which can be a risk factor for developing lung cancer.
Genetics can also play a role in the development of lung cancer through inherited or environmentally-acquired gene mutations.
Military service may have presented both veterans and active-duty personnel with exposures to industrial substances, asbestos bearing materials, and air pollution, as well as exposure to tactical chemicals (Agent Orange, for example). In addition, military past and current military personnel present with significantly higher smoking rates.

Types of Lung Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 15:01:00 +0000

What are the types of lung cancer?

There are several types of primary lung cancer, which are classified according to the type of cells affected, and a number of less common sub types. Cancers are named for the way the cells appear when viewed under a microscope.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

This type accounts for up over 80% of lung cancers. NSCLC may be classified as:

adenocarcinoma (begins in mucus-producing cells and is more often found in the outer part of the lungs)
squamous cell carcinoma (most commonly develops in the larger airways)
large cell undifferentiated carcinoma (the cancer cells are not clearly squamous or adenocarcinoma)

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

Makes up about 15–20% of lung cancers. SCLC tends to start in the middle of the lungs, and usually spreads more quickly than NSCLC.

Other tumours starting in the space between the lungs (mediastinum) or chest wall

Thymus gland tumours, germ cell tumours, tumours of nerve tissue and lymph gland tumours (lymphoma) can arise in the mediastinum. These are not strictly lung cancer.
Primary tumours of bone, cartilage or muscle can also arise in the chest wall but these are rare.

Mesothelioma

A type of cancer that affects the covering of the lung (the pleura). It is different to lung cancer. There are two main types of mesothelioma: pleural and peritoneal. In most cases, exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of Lung Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 11:05:00 +0000

Lung Cancer Symptoms

About one fourth of all people with lung cancer have no symptoms when the cancer is diagnosed. These cancers are usually identified incidentally when a chest X-ray is performed for another reason. The other three-fourths of people develop some symptoms. The symptoms are due to direct effects of the primary tumor; to effects of cancer spread to other parts of the body (metastases); or to disturbances of hormones, blood, or other systems.

Symptoms of lung cancer include cough, coughing up blood or rusty-colored phlegm, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, recurrent respiratory infections, hoarseness, new wheezing, and shortness of breath.

A new cough in a smoker or a former smoker should raise concern for lung cancer.
A cough that does not go away or gets worse over time should be evaluated by a health care provider.
Coughing up blood (hemoptysis) occurs in a significant number of people who have lung cancer. Any amount of coughed-up blood should be evaluated by a health care provider.
Pain in the chest area is a symptom in about one fourth of people with lung cancer. The pain is dull, aching, and persistent.
Shortness of breath usually results from a blockage in part of the lung, collection of fluid around the lung (pleural effusion), or the spread of tumor through the lungs.
Wheezing or hoarseness may signal blockage or inflammation in the lungs that may go along with cancer.
Repeated respiratory infections, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, can be a sign of lung cancer.

Symptoms of metastatic cancer depend on the extent and location of the cancer spread.

Lung cancer most often spreads to the liver, the bones, and the brain.
Metastatic lung cancer in the liver may cause yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), but it may not cause any noticeable symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
Lung cancer that has metastasized to the bone causes bone pain, usually in the bones of the spine (vertebrae), the thigh bones, and the ribs.
Lung cancer that spreads to the brain can cause difficulties with headaches, vision, weakness on one side of the body, and/or seizures.

Paraneoplastic syndromes are the remote, indirect effects of cancer not related to direct invasion. Symptoms include the following:

New bone formation (particularly in the fingertips) that can be painful
High levels of calcium in the blood
Blood clots
Low sodium levels in the blood

A Glimpse About Lung Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 08:23:00 +0000

What Is Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. As they grow, the abnormal cells can form tumors and interfere with the functioning of the lung, which provides oxygen to the body via the blood.

The Genetic Basis of Lung Cancer

All cells in the body contain the genetic material called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Every time a mature cell divides into two new cells, its DNA is exactly duplicated. The cells are copies of the original cell, identical in every way. In this way our bodies continually replenish themselves. Old cells die off and the next generation replaces them.
A cancer begins with an error, or mutation, in a cell’s DNA. DNA mutations can be caused by the normal aging process or through environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke, breathing in asbestos fibers, and to exposure to radon gas.
Researchers have found that it takes a series of mutations to create a lung cancer cell. Before becoming fully cancerous, cells can be precancerous, in that they have some mutations but still function normally as lung cells. When a cell with a genetic mutation divides, it passes along its abnormal genes to the two new cells, which then divide into four cells with errors in their DNA and so on. With each new mutation, the lung tissue cell becomes more mutated and may not be as effective in carrying out its function as a lung cell. At a later stage of disease, some cells may travel away from the original tumor and start growing in other parts of the body. This process is call metastasis and the new distant sites are referred to as metastases.

Primary Versus Secondary Lung Cancer

Primary lung cancer starts in the lungs. The cancer cells are abnormal lung cells. Sometimes, people will have cancer travel from another part of their body or metastasize to their lungs. This is called secondary lung cancer because the lungs are a secondary site compared to the original primary location of the cancer. So, for example, breast cancer cells which have traveled to the lung are not lung cancer but rather metastatic breast cancer, and will require treatment prescribed for breast cancer rather than lung cancer.