A great deal has been written about lung cancer. Almost everyone knows that a strong association exists between lung cancer and cigarette smoking. There are, in fact, a number of varieties of lung cancer. Those that originate in the lung have a very high correlation with cigarette smoking. Although an unusual type of lung tumor is sometimes found in older individuals who have never smoked, in general those who have smoked heavily for many years are the most susceptible.
Cancer from another part of the body can eventually spread to the lungs as metastases. This of course has nothing to do with smoking and may be one of the reasons that people have the impression that nonsmokers run the same risk of getting lung cancer as smokers. This is not so. If you smoke, your chances of getting lung cancer are many times higher than if you do not. It is too late to stop after you already have the disease. How often I have heard the lament, “I’ll never touch another cigarette,” when such a decision was no longer of any use.
Of the varieties of lung cancer associated with smoking, some are more lethal than others. If the diagnosis is made after symptoms of cancer have begun, the possibility of cure is small. An increase in the amount of cough or recurring chest infections are warning signs that something more serious than a simple infection is involved. The expectoration of blood may be the first sign of lung cancer. Weight loss, impairment of appetite, or undue fatigue may be early symptoms. Sometimes the illness first presents itself because it has already spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain or bones. Headaches, weakness of limbs, or fractures for no apparent reason may be manifestations of the disease.
If the illness is discovered early (as may be the case if it is found accidentally during a routine chest X-ray), treatment has a better chance of being successful. The first suspicion of the disease may be an X-ray that reveals a “shadow,” in which case the physician will take a sputum sample to see if the cells are abnormal. It may be necessary to perform a bronchoscopy and biopsy to see whether a tumor is present and whether it has spread. Very often, if surgery is considered, many X-rays and scans will be done to ensure that the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
The results may show no evidence of tumor spread, and the growth may be small. Especially if found by chance, there is a possibility that in some types of lung tumors surgical removal of part of the lung may be successful in curing the disease. Unfortunately, many people with lung cancer also have chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which makes surgery more hazardous.
In some instances surgery can be successfully performed, and occasionally it completely removes the tumor. All factors must be taken into account first, including the kind of cancer, the evidence of spread to other parts of the body, and the general health of the patient. But surgery should not be discarded as a possibility because of age alone.
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Tags: Men’s Health
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