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How to Prevent Lung Cancer Properly

Quitting smoking is the most important measure that can prevent lung cancer. Many products, such as nicotine inhalers, nicotine gum or sprays nicotine, may be useful to people trying to quit smoking. Minimize exposure to snuff smoke is also an effective preventive measure. Using a test kit home radon can identify and help correct the levels of radon in the home, which can also cause lung cancer. Methods that allow early detection of cancer as helical CT scanning in low doses, may also be useful in identifying small cancers can be cured by surgical removal and prevention of widespread incurable metastatic cancer.

A glimpse of lung cancer

• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States and worldwide include Canada, France, Spain, Japan, Australia, etc
• Smoking is the main risk factor for developing lung cancer.
• Exposure to passive smoke snuff can also cause lung cancer.
• The two types of lung cancer, which grow and spread differently, are the small-cell-lung-cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
• The stage of lung cancer relates to the extent that the cancer has spread throughout the body.
• The treatment of lung cancer can cause a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and new methods of experimentation.
• The overall prognosis of lung cancer is poor, with survival rates around 16% in five years.
• Quitting smoking is the most important measure that can prevent the development of lung cancer

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Treatment of Lung Cancer Therapy for Healthy

The treatment of lung cancer, also known as lung cancer treatments and therapy can result in surgical removal of the tumor, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and combinations of these treatments. The decision on which treatments are appropriate for a given individual should take into account the location and extent of the tumor and the patient’s general health.

As with other types of cancer treatment can be provided that the allegations curative (removal or eradication of cancer) or palliative (measures that are not able to cure cancer, but may reduce pain and suffering). More than one type of treatment may be prescribed. In such cases, therapy is added to enhance the effects of primary therapy is known as adjuvant therapy. An example of adjuvant treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to remove a tumor, to be sure who killed the tumor cells.

Lung Cancer Surgery

Surgical removal of the tumor is usually performed for limited stage (stage I or, sometimes, phase II) and NSCLC (non-small-cell lung cancer) is the treatment against cancer that has not spread beyond the lung. Approximately 10% -35% of lung cancers can be surgically removed, but the withdrawal does not always translate into a cure, because the tumors have already spread in May and may occur at a later date. Among those who are isolated, slow-growing cancer of the lung removed, 25% to 40% are still alive five years after diagnosis. Surgery may not be possible if the cancer is near the trachea or if you have other serious diseases (like heart or lung disease) that limit their ability to tolerate surgery. The operation was performed less often because SCLC tumors are less likely to be located in an area that can be eliminated.

The surgical lung cancer procedure chosen depends on the size and location of the tumor. Surgeons must open the chest wall and may perform a lung wedge resection (removal of part of one lobe), lobectomy (removal of one lobe) or pneumonectomy (removal of an entire lung). Sometimes lymph nodes in the region of the lungs are removed (lymphadenectomy). Surgery for lung cancer is a major surgery requiring general anesthesia, hospitalization and follow-up care for weeks or months. After surgery, patients may experience difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, pain and weakness. The risks of surgery are complications due to hemorrhage, infection and complications from general anesthesia.

Lung Cancer Radiation

Therapy radiation may be used as a treatment for both NSCLC (non-small-cell lung cancer) and SCLC (small cell lung cancer). Radiation therapy of lung cancer uses high-energy X-rays or other radiation to kill cancer cells from dividing. Radiotherapy may be administered in curative treatment, palliative treatment (using low doses of radiation that have curative regimes), or as adjuvant therapy in combination with surgery or chemotherapy. The radiation is delivered either externally, using a machine that aims radiation at cancer, or internally by placing radioactive material in sealed containers in the area of the body where the tumor is located. Brachytherapy is a term used to describe the use of a small pellet of radioactive material placed directly in cancer or in the air near the cancer. This is usually done through a bronchoscope.

Radiotherapy lung cancer may be given if a person refuses surgery if the tumor has spread to areas such as the lymph nodes or trachea, making surgical removal impossible, or if a person has other conditions that make too sick to go through major surgery. Radiation therapy is usually only reduce the tumor or the limits of its growth when given alone, however, in 10% -15% of people that leads to a long-term remission and palliation of cancer. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may increase survival when given chemotherapy. External radiation therapy, in general, can be performed on an outpatient basis, while internal radiotherapy requires a short hospital stay. A person who has a serious lung disease, in addition to lung cancer may not be able to receive radiotherapy in the lungs. A type of external radiation called “Gamma Knife” is sometimes used to treat brain metastases only. In this procedure, the multiple radiation beams are focused on the tumor for a few minutes to several hours, while the head is held in place by a rigid structure.

For external beam radiation, a process called simulation is necessary before treatment. Using CT, computers and precise measurements, simulation maps the exact location where the radiation is delivered, called the treatment field or port. This process usually takes 30 minutes to two hours. The external radiation therapy in general, it takes four or five days a week for several weeks.

Radiation therapy does not increase risk of major surgery, but can have unpleasant side effects such as fatigue and lack of energy. A small number of white blood cells (making a person more vulnerable to infection) and low levels of platelets in the blood (blood clotting more difficult) can also occur with radiotherapy. If the digestive organs are in the area exposed to radiation, patients may experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Radiotherapy May irritate the skin in that area, but the irritation usually improves with time after treatment.

Lung Cancer Chemotherapy

Both non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and CPM can be treated with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy refers to the administration of drugs that inhibit the growth of cancerous cells by killing them or preventing them from dividing. Chemotherapy can be administered alone as adjuvant therapy to surgery or in combination with radiotherapy. If a number of chemotherapy drugs have been developed, the drugs of the class of drugs known as platinum have been most effective in the treatment of lung cancer.

Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for most CPM, because these tumors are very common in the body when diagnosed. Only half of those with SCLC survive for four months without chemotherapy. With chemotherapy, their survival time increased from four to five times. Chemotherapy alone is not particularly effective in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but when have metastatic NSCLC, it may prolong survival in many cases.

Chemotherapy may be given in pill form as intravenous infusion, or a combination of both. Chemotherapy treatments are usually given on an outpatient basis. A combination of drugs is given in a series of treatments, called cycles for a period of weeks or months, with breaks between cycles. Unfortunately, chemotherapy drugs also kill normal dividing cells in the body, causing unpleasant side effects. Damage to blood cells may cause increased susceptibility to infections and difficulties related to blood coagulation (bleeding or bruising easily). Other side effects include loss, fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and mouth sores. Side effects of chemotherapy depend on the dose and combination of drugs used and can vary from person to person. Drugs have been developed that can treat or prevent many side effects of chemotherapy. Side effects usually disappear during the recovery phase of treatment or after its completion.

Prophylactic cranial irradiation

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) often spreads to the brain. Sometimes people with SCLC, which responds well to treatment, are treated with radiation to treat quickly spread to the head brain (called micrometastases) is not yet detectable with CT or MRI and no symptoms yet. Brain radiation therapy can cause problems with short-term memory, fatigue, nausea and other side effects.

Treatment of recurrence

Lung cancer that has returned after treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy is called recurrent or relapsed. If recurrent cancer is confined to a site in the lungs, can be treated by surgery. Relapsed tumors do not usually respond to chemotherapy drugs administered previously. As platinum-based drugs are generally used in the initial chemotherapy of lung cancer, these drugs are not useful in most cases of recurrence. A type of chemotherapy called second-line chemotherapy is used to treat recurrent cancer previously treated with chemotherapy, and a series of second-line chemotherapy have proven effective in prolonging survival. People with lung cancer are quite recurrent to tolerate the treatment are also good candidates for experimental therapies (see below), including clinical trials.

Targeted therapy

An alternative to standard chemotherapy is the drug erlotinib (Tarceva), which can be used in patients with ( NSCLC non-small-cell lung cancer ) who no longer respond to chemotherapy. Specific call is a drug, a drug that specifically target cancer cells, causing less damage to normal cells. Erlotinib targets a receptor protein called epidermal growth factor (EGFR), which helps cells to divide. This protein is found in abnormally high levels on the surface of certain types of cancer cells, including many cases of non-small cell cancer of lung cells. Erlotinib is taken orally as tablets.

Among other efforts targeted therapy known as the fight against drugs that block angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels in cancer. Without blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood adequate cancer cells to die. Anti-angiogenic drug bevacizumab (Avastin) has recently been found to prolong survival in lung cancer in advanced stage when added to standard chemotherapy. Bevacizumab is administered intravenously every two to three weeks. However, since this medication may cause bleeding, is not suitable for use in patients who are coughing up blood, if lung cancer has spread to the brain, or those receiving anticoagulant therapy (diluent blood “) drugs. Avastin is also used in cases of squamous cell cancer, because it causes bleeding of this type of lung cancer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT)

Therapy newer used for different types and stages of lung cancer (and some other cancers) is photodynamic therapy. In photodynamic therapy, an agent of photosynthesis (as a porphyrin, a naturally occurring substance in the body) is injected into the bloodstream of a couple of hours before surgery. Meanwhile, the deposition agent itself selectively in rapidly growing cells like cancer cells. Then follows a procedure in which the physician applies a certain wavelength of light through a handheld wand directly to the site of the cancer and surrounding tissues. Light energy activates the photosensitizing agent, causing the production of a toxin that kills tumor cells. PDT has the advantage to precisely target the cancer site, is less invasive than surgery and can be repeated on the same site if necessary. The disadvantages of PDT is that it is only useful in the treatment of cancers that can be achieved with a light source and is not suitable for the treatment of cancer spread. The investigation is ongoing to determine the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy in lung cancer.

Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA)

Radiofrequency ablation is studied as an alternative to surgery, especially in cases of lung cancer early. In this new type of treatment involves inserting a needle through skin cancer, usually under the direction of TC. Radiofrequency (electrical) energy is transmitted to the tip of the needle where it produces heat in the tissues, killing the cancerous tissue and the closure of small blood vessels that cancer feed. RFA is usually not painful and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States to treat certain types of cancers including lung cancer. Studies have shown that this treatment may prolong survival similar to surgery, when used to treat early stage lung cancer, but without the risks of major surgery and prolonged recovery time associated with major surgical procedures .

The experimental treatments

As no treatment is currently available that is very effective in treating lung cancer, patients can offer a range of treatments that are still being tested, which means that doctors have not yet sufficiently d ‘information to decide if these treatments must be accepted forms of treatment for lung cancer. New drugs or new combinations of drugs are tested in the so-called clinical trials, which are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs, compared with treatments that are already widely used. Experimental treatment known as immunotherapy, are being considered that involve the use of vaccine-related therapies or other therapies that seek to use the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells.

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Overview of Lung Cancer Stages

When diagnosed with lung cancer, the pathologist assigned a type (not lung cancer or lung cancer) and a stage for cancer. The setting is a formal notation means that the spread of cancer and determine the type of treatment recommended by his oncologist. Lung cancer stages also known as Las etapas del cáncer de pulmón, Ciclo di cancro del polmone, lungenkrebs stufen, stades du cancer du poumon in some countries. Importantly, the staging is only used to determine the most appropriate treatment and does not indicate the prognosis.

Fewer, less advanced cancer. For example, cancer stage I cancer is early may and will have spread from their place of origin. Cancer stage IV indicates advanced cancer and may occur in the lungs or other areas of the body (metastasis).

Lung cancers are divided into two types, non-small cell cancer cell lung cancer and small cell lung, according to their cellular characteristics. The staging is different for the two types. In general, the number assigned to the stage of cancer, including tumor characteristics (size, if it has spread), lymph nodes (if the tumor has spread to them, and which ones), and if the tumor ’s is spread by organs of distant metastases. You may see this referred to as the TNM system for tumor, nodes, and metastasis. The American Society of Clinical Oncology, said the system of staging and provides illustrations.
Forecast

It is important to remember that there are treatments for lung cancer, no matter what stage of cancer. Treatment decisions vary depending on the condition of each patient and may also be influenced by the strength of the patient, general health, coexisting diseases and the ability to tolerate certain treatments.

Staging of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCL cancer): staging for NSCLC using global I-IV, so the earlier and IV are the last. Evaluation of the tumor, lymph nodes and metastases were included in the global arena.

• Stage I: The first stage of lung cancer. The tumor is found in one lung and has not spread to lymph nodes.
• Stage II: The tumor has spread to lymph nodes found in the lungs of the environment.
• Stage IIIA: The tumor has spread to lymph nodes outside the lung, where the surface of the trachea, including the chest wall and diaphragm on the same side as the cancer began.
• Stage IIIB: The tumor has spread to lymph nodes in the lung face to face or neck.
• Stage IV: tumor has spread to other parts of the lungs or body.

Cancer staging small cell lung cancer (SCLC cancer) : stage lung cancer small cell stage is classified as limited or extensive.

• Limited stage: The tumor is found in one lung and nearby lymph nodes.
• Wide: the tumor has spread beyond the lung and other organs.

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Lung Cancer Symptoms and Signs

What are the lung cancer signs and lung cancer symptoms ? The symptoms of lung cancer vary widely depending on the location and extent of the tumor. Warning signs of lung cancer are not always present or readily identifiable. A person with lung cancer May of the following types of symptoms:

• No symptoms

It’s up to 25% of people who develop lung cancer, the cancer is discovered at a routine chest X-ray or CT scan as a solitary small mass sometimes called the currency of an injury, given as two dimensions X – ray or CT scan, the tumor-round as a coin. These patients often report only small masses have no symptoms when the cancer is discovered.

• The symptoms associated with cancer

Tumor growth and invasion of lung tissue and surrounding tissues can cause breathing, causing symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, wheezing, chest pain and coughing up blood (hemoptysis). If the cancer has invaded nerves, for example, can cause pain in the shoulder on the outside of the arm (called Pancoast’s Syndrome) or paralysis of the vocal cords leading to hoarseness. Invasion of the esophagus may cause difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia). If an airway is obstructed large, the collapse of part of the lung may occur and cause infections (abscesses, pneumonia) in the blocked area.

• Symptoms related to metastasis

Lung cancer that has spread to the bones may produce excruciating pain in areas of bone involvement. Cancer that has spread to the brain can cause a range of neurological symptoms may include blurred vision, headaches, seizures or stroke symptoms as weakness or numbness in parts of the body.

• Paraneoplastic symptoms

Lung cancers are often accompanied by symptoms resulting from the production of the hormone-like substances by tumor cells. These paraneoplastic syndromes occur most often with SCLC in may, but should be viewed with any type of tumor. A common paraneoplastic syndrome associated with SCLC is the production of a hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the cancer cells, resulting in the hypersecretion of cortisol, a hormone of the adrenal glands (Cushing’s syndrome). Most common paraneoplastic syndrome with NSCLC is the production of a substance similar to parathyroid hormone, which causes high calcium levels in the blood.

• No specific symptoms

No specific symptoms seen with many cancers, including lung cancer, including weight loss, weakness and fatigue. Psychological symptoms such as depression and mood swings are also common.
When you visit a doctor or physician medical ?

He should consult a health professional if symptoms he or she develops associated with lung cancer, especially if they
- A persistent cough onset or worsening of existing chronic cough
- The blood in the sputum
- Persistent bronchitis or repeated respiratory infections
- Chest pain
- Unexplained weight loss and fatigue, and also..
- Breathing difficulties such as shortness of breath or wheezing.

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Different Types of Lung Cancer in The World

There are any different the types of lung cancer (lung cancer types, or tipos de cáncer de pulmón, tipi di cancro del polmone, types de cancer du poumon, lungenkrebs-typen) in the world. Bronchogenic carcinomas, better known as lung cancer deadly disease (carcinoma is another term for cancer), are broadly classified into two types : lung cancer small cell (SCLC) and non-cancer, small cell (NSCLC). This classification is based on the microscopic appearance of tumor cells. Both types of cancer growth and spread in different ways and may have different treatment options, so a distinction between these two types is important.

SCLC represents approximately 20% of lung cancers are the most aggressive and fastest growing of all lung cancers. CPM are closely related to smoking, with only 1% of these tumors in non-smokers. SCLC spreads quickly to many places in the body and are most often discovered after they have spread widely. Referring to a specific cell appearance, often seen by examining the samples under a microscope SCLC, these cancers are sometimes called oat cell carcinoma.

NSCLC lung cancer the most frequent, representing approximately 80% of all lung cancers. NSCLC can be divided into three main types which are named according to the type of cells in the tumor as below :

- Adenocarcinomas

The adenocarcinomas are the most frequently observed in NSCLC in the U.S. and up to 50% of NSCLC. While adenocarcinomas are associated with smoking and lung cancer, this pattern is seen both in non-smokers who develop lung cancer. Most adenocarcinomas arise in areas outside the lungs or peripheral. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is a subtype of adenocarcinoma, which often takes place at several sites in the lungs and spreads along the preexisting alveolar walls.

-  Squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma were once more common than adenocarcinomas, currently representing around 30% of NSCLC. Also known as squamous cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma are more common in the chest area in the central bronchi.

- The large cell carcinomas

Large cell carcinomas sometimes referred to as undifferentiated carcinomas, are the most common NSCLC low.

- Mixtures of different types of NSCLC are also seen.

Other cancers types may arise in the lung and these guys are much less common than NSCLC and SCLC, and together represent only 5% -10% of lung cancers :

- Bronchial carcinoids make up approximately 5% of lung cancers. These tumors are usually small (3-4 cm or less) when diagnosed and occur more frequently in people younger than 40 years. Non-smoking, carcinoid tumors can metastasize, and a small proportion of these tumors secrete hormones and substances that can cause specific symptoms related to the hormone produced. Carcinoids and dissemination in general, grow more slowly than lung cancer, and many are detected early enough to be amenable to surgical resection.

- Cancers of the supporting tissues of the lung, such as vascular smooth muscle or blood cells involved in immune response may occur rarely in the lungs.

As mentioned above, metastatic tumors in the major organs are often in the lungs. Tumors anywhere in the body can spread to the lungs, either by blood through the lymphatic system or directly to nearby organs. Metastatic tumors are more often multiple, scattered throughout the lung, and is concentrated in peripheral regions rather than the central regions of the lung.

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