Tuesday 27 September 2011

The Implications of Having Lung Cancer

In medical terms, the spread of cancer form one part of the body to another is known as staging. The early days of the cancer, when the cancer has just began in the lungs, are known as stage 1 lung cancer. At this moment, the malignant tumor is restricted to just one place and it somehow begins its spread to other parts of the body.

The spread which starts in the lungs entails the malignant cancer cells being really small and being present in the lungs but beginning to spread to other organs of the body while destroying the tissues. Also known as the primary tumor, this tumor tends to grow from the tissues within the lungs where it is located. At this particular stage, no matter how early it might be, the lung cancer survival rate is not as high in comparison to other types of cancer.

Lung cancer is known as one of the most dangerous forms of cancer in the world today and it is responsible for over 100,000 deaths each year. Even with such staggering statistics prevailing, there are still many people who are unaware that smoking tobacco or cigarettes for that matter is the leading reason for the cases of lung cancer. On the other hand, 2nd hand smoking which is also known as passive smoking is even more dangerous than the 1st hand smoking especially pertaining to stage 1 lung cancer.

Cigarettes are usually filled with nicotine which is addictive yet toxic to people. If there is excessive exposure to the carcinogenic materials or pollutants, then there is the worry that the cells in the lungs might experience uncoordinated and abnormal growth patterns.

This uncoordinated growth of the cells usually leads to a tumor which can be seen as the beginning of the cancerous invasion. In the early stages, the lymph nodes are not affected by the cancer cells and survival rate at the early stages stands at 50-60% chances of complete cure.

Stage 1 cancer usually manifests itself in various ways and if identified quickly, it can be treated and there are higher chances that one might not come under a lung cancer infection. The early symptoms of this condition include very shallow breath as well as wheezing sounds. The area around the chest is usually where all this pain is felt and the chest pain becomes a very common occurrence when it comes to the growth of the tumor in the areas of the lungs.

There is usually persistent or sometimes chronic cough which is also known as smokers cough. Several infections begin to emerge within the lungs for instance bronchitis or even in some cases pneumonia and these all contribute to the build up of lung cancer.

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