Lung Cancer Health Effects
Modern medical techniques successfully battle the health effects of lung cancer every day. Different types of lung cancer affect the body and spread through it in different ways, requiring varied treatments. And cigarettes remain the leading cause of this strain of cancer, making it one of the more preventable forms.
Other People Are Reading
-
Deadly Effects
-
Lung cancer is the most fatal strain of cancer in both men and women, with one in three who die of cancer in the United States succumbing to lung cancer, according to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. For at least four decades, breast cancer led all fatal cancer-related deaths in women. That changed in 1987, when lung cancer overtook breast cancer as the leading fatal cancer strain in women.
-
Types and How They Spread
-
Lung cancer exists in two types: small cell and non-small cell. Both types spread differently within the human body and require different treatments, Cedar-Sinai reports.
Small cell lung cancer spreads more rapidly than non-small cell cancer and often is discovered in more advanced stages. Small cell accounts for about 25 percent of all lung cancer and can include limited strains confined to the chest cavity and extensive strains that spread outside of the chest. Non-small cell lung cancer tends to be more isolated and does not spread as aggressively.
Symptoms of the Disease
-
Though some lung cancer patients lack symptoms, many suffer from coughing (including blood-producing coughs), pneumonia, shoulder or rib pain, hoarseness, weight loss, loss of appetite or a combination of those symptoms.
Treatment and Effects
-
Small cell lung cancer often involves more advanced treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Surgery generally is not an option, because this type of cancer usually spreads beyond the lungs by the time of diagnosis. Chemotherapy entails using chemicals to stop the ability of cancer cells to divide and reproduce. This treatment can cause other illness and side effects in cancer patients because the drugs also kill other cells, such as hair cells and those that line intestines. Radiation therapy exposes cancerous tumors to radiation to shrink the cancer. The isolated nature of non-small cell cancer often means tumors can be removed through surgery rather than through chemotherapy or radiation.
Causes and Prevention
-
The U.S. Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society all identify smoking as the leading cause of lung cancer. The CDC reports that smoking causes about 90 percent of lung cancer-related deaths in men and nearly 80 percent of such deaths in women.
Not smoking and limiting exposure to secondhand smoke are the most effective ways to prevent lung cancer. The CDC reports that smokers who kick the habit lower their risk for lung and other types of cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular diseases. Smokers who quit experience fewer respiratory illnesses and conditions, such as coughing and shortness of breath. Five to 15 years following the final cigarette, the risk of lung cancer reduces by half, the American Cancer Society reports.
-
References
- Photo Credit "Smoker" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: tskdesign under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
