More About Cancer of The Lung Complete
What is lung cancer?
Lung cancer, like all cancers, results from an abnormality in the base unit of the body of the life of the cell. Normally the body maintains a system of checks and balances on cell growth so that cells divide to produce new cells only when necessary. Disruption of this system of checks and balances in the growth performance of the uncontrolled cell division and proliferation of cells that eventually forms a mass called a tumor.
Tumors can be benign or malignant, when we speak of “cancer” refers to those who are regarded as malignant tumors. Benign tumors can usually be removed and not spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors, however, grow aggressively and invade other tissues of the body, allowing the entry of tumor cells in the blood or lymphatic system, then to other parts of the body. This expansion process is called metastasis, areas of tumor growth in these distant sites are called metastases. Since lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize early in its course, is a very life threatening cancer and one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Although lung cancer can spread to any organ in the body, certain organs – particularly the adrenal glands, liver, brain and blood – are the most frequent sites of metastases from lung cancer.
The lung is also a very common site metastasis of tumors in other parts of the body. Metastatic tumors are composed of the same type of cells that the initial or primary tumor. For example, if prostate cancer spreads through the bloodstream to the lungs as cancer of the prostate with metastases in the lung is not lung cancer.
Please see the picture of lung cancer (lung cancer pictures), the main function of the lungs is gas exchange between the air we breathe and the blood. Through the lungs, carbon dioxide is eliminated from the blood and oxygen from inspired air enters the blood. The right lung has three lobes, while the left lung is divided into two lobes and a small structure called the lingula which is the equivalent of the middle lobe. The major airways in the lungs are the bronchi, which arise from the trachea. The bronchi branch into progressively smaller airways called bronchioles, which end in tiny sacs called alveoli where gas exchange occurs. The lungs and the chest wall are covered with a thin layer of tissue called the pleura.
Lung cancers can occur anywhere in the lung, but 90% -95% of lung cancers are likely to arise from cells or epithelial cells lining the airways, both large and small (bronchi and bronchioles ) For this reason, lung cancers are sometimes called broncho-pulmonary or lung cancer. Cancers can also arise from the pleura (the thin lining that surrounds the lungs), mesothelioma, or rarely from supporting tissues of the lungs, for example, blood vessels.
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