‘lung cancer’ Tagged Posts

Why The E Cigarette Is So Popular

Smokers are already aware of the dangers of smoking, the health risks along with how it can affect how a person looks with time are advertised every...

 

Smokers are already aware of the dangers of smoking, the health risks along with how it can affect how a person looks with time are advertised everywhere. That doesn’t make it any easier to stop nor curb the desire to do so. With more and more laws going into affect about public smoking, smokers have found a legal and safer alternative to enjoy their habit without risks to themselves and others through the e cigarette.

An electronic cigarette provides many advantages over the tradition tobacco filled ones. Since they are smokeless, there is no second hand smoke, no tar, and no burning at all. Some brands are even programmed so they control the amount of nicotine and shut off once that has been reached. And, this is all done without any of the toxic and poisonous substances of traditional cigarettes.

Any smoker knows that the price of cigarettes is rising steadily, even if it doesn’t stop them from buying them. The prices of these electronic ones are one reason many are deciding to give them a try. The only cost after buying the kit is the refill cartridges, which are much cheaper than tobacco. And, because of the nicotine control, you end up smoking less, especially if you are a chain smoker, saving you more money.

The smoking ban laws make it hard for a smoker to get their fix in, but because these are tobacco and smoke free, the laws don’t apply. This allows a smoker to enjoy an e cigarette anywhere they want without worry. They can enjoy their nicotine in a restaurant or bar, even at the office or an airport without worry. And, since there is no burning or smoke, there is no residue to clean up like ash or butts.

Because the e cigarette tastes, looks, and feels like a real cigarette you don’t realize you are missing any of the bad things that come with the traditional one. Instead of smoke, these release a vapor that looks like it, without being toxic, and the end has an LED light on it that lights up when in use. So it feels and looks like you have a conventional cigarette, all without the lingering smell of one.

You only need to carry one and not a pack so you don’t need to worry about smashed, broken or bulky packs on your person. This frees you up from having to carry them in a case or a purse to protect them. One will fit anywhere easily and always be convenient to use. They also come in varying strength, so you can have full flavor, medium or light, depending on what you would normally smoke.

Knowing how smoking affects the health is enough to make a person want to try to stop, but not always enough to actually stop. The e cigarette is allowing people to enjoy their nicotine without all the harmful side effects. The many advantages to health and cost are helping the popularity of these to grow, not to mention the fact that they are environment friendly.

An e cigarette is an smoking device that is much safer for your health benefits and for the environment than the traditional nicotine delivery method. Green smoke is appealing to anyone who wants to have clearer lungs.

Addressing Lung Cancer With Minimally-Invasive VVats Lobectomy

 

If lung cancer (LC) is diagnosed early enough, it can often be resolved with a wedge resection. The diseased portion of lung tissue is cut away from the organ, along with a surrounding perimeter of healthy tissue. In most cases, however, the tumor goes undetected long enough for the cancerous cells to spread. As a result, resolving LC requires a slightly more aggressive approach. The surgeon must remove one of the lobes by performing an operation known as a lobectomy.

The operation has traditionally been done through invasive thoracotomy – that is, cutting through the chest to access the lungs. In recent years, surgeons have begun using a minimally-invasive approach known as video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Below, we’ll describe the differences between VATS and conventional thoracotomy. We’ll then take a look at how patients are chosen for the former. Lastly, we’ll explain what you can expect during recovery following a VATS lobectomy.

VATS Lobectomy Versus Invasive Thoracotomy

During thoracotomy, a surgeon makes a long incision into the middle of your chest. He or she must also cut through your sternum and spread your ribs in order to gain access to your lungs. In some cases, a portion of one or more ribs is removed.

Because this approach is highly invasive, the risk of complications is high. The operation may result in infection, respiratory failure, or pleural effusion. Moreover, there is typically significant pain during the postoperative recovery period.

In contrast, the surgery is done with two to four small incisions into the sides of the chest, with each measuring less than an inch. A thoracoscope (i.e. instrument with a video camera) is inserted through one of the incisions. It sends images of the area back to a monitor that your surgeon uses to guide other surgical instruments. By studying the area displayed on the monitor, your surgeon can cut away and remove the affected lobe.

Note that the surgery is completed without cutting through the sternum and separating the ribs. Consequently, there are fewer complications and less pain during recovery.

Determining Candidacy For Minimally-Invasive Lung Cancer Surgery

Not all patients are suitable candidates for minimally invasive lung cancer surgery. As a general rule, those with small tumors near the outer edge of the lung make better candidates. Also, a VATS lobectomy is only possible if the disease can be detected while it is in its early stages. Once it spreads beyond the lungs (i.e. it metastasizes), other treatment measures become necessary.

As long as a medical center offers this approach to lung cancer surgery, it is considered for all patients. Your doctor – and an oncologist – will ultimately decide whether your condition makes you a suitable candidate.

Recovering From The Operation

With invasive thoracotomy, you can expect to stay in the hospital for up to ten days. That said, many patients are released as early as five or six days following surgery. With a VATS lobectomy, you may be released after two days, assuming your condition is stable. The recovery time following minimally invasive lung cancer surgery is much shorter than that required after undergoing traditional thoracotomy. Many patients are able to return to their normal activities within three to six weeks.

Reasons Few Surgeons Perform VATS Lobectomy

Not all medical centers offer minimally invasive lung surgery. While the approach has become more widespread over the last decade, many surgeons still lack the necessary skills and training. Relying upon images displayed on a video monitor to perform the removal of a lobe poses a steep learning curve.

If you have been diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer, ask your physician whether a VATS lobectomy represents a viable treatment option. If it does, check whether your doctor’s facility can perform the operation. You’ll benefit from a faster recovery, less postoperative pain, and a lower risk of complications during the procedure.

Find More information at CVTSA. Early diagnosis can lead to successful results. Other information Check out Health Facts

On Treating Lung Cancer In Nonsmokers

 

It is estimated that ten percent of diagnosed cases of lung cancer (LC) are found in people who have never smoked a cigarette. This is a startling fact for those who thought themselves safe from the disease simply because they have always been nonsmokers. In reality, they are susceptible (though, less so). It is worth noting that one in five women who have LC have never smoked. It is unclear, however, whether this is due to a predisposition to the disease or environmental factors.

There are many ways in which non-smoking men and women can develop the disease. This article will describe the most common risk factors. We’ll then discuss the different forms of treatment available, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.

Risk Factors And Potential Causes

Most people instinctively think the main cause of LC in nonsmokers is passive smoking (the inhalation of smoke expelled from other smokers). Passive smoking is responsible for nearly 3,000 deaths (due to lung cancer) each year. But other factors play a more significant role.

Radon gas is statistically more deadly than passive smoking. Approximately 20,000 victims succumb to it each year. The gas is produced by decaying uranium that lies in the soil. It seeps through cracks, pipes, and drains into people’s living quarters, exposing occupants. Those who smoke and are exposed to radon gas for prolonged periods are more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers.

Air pollution has yet to be accepted as a known risk factor, but experts strongly suspect it increases the likelihood of developing the disease. It is thought to be responsible for nearly 2,000 deaths each year, though this is difficult to verify.

Asbestos is responsible for a rare form of LC called mesothelioma. The material was commonly used in building materials – including insulation – many years ago. Though it has been banned since 1989, it is still present in older structures.

Chemotherapy Through Oral And Intravenous Drugs

Lung cancer spreads when the diseased cells rapidly multiply. They metastasize outside the original site within the affected lung. At that point, local treatments (e.g. radiation therapy and surgery) are no longer sufficient for killing the cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is used as a systemic treatment.

Cytotoxic drugs are given orally or intravenously. The medications circulate through the body and target cells that divide more quickly than others. Chemotherapy is typically used as an adjunct to surgery, but may also be used by itself to prolong the patient’s life (in advanced cases).

Radiation Therapy For Killing Cancer Cells

As implied earlier, radiation therapy is used to target diseased cells in a specific location (as opposed to chemotherapy). The treatment uses x-rays to destroy parts of a cell’s DNA. Doing so will either kill the cell or stop it from dividing, which in turn prevents the cancer from spreading.

Treatment can either be done internally – called brachytherapy – or externally with a machine that directs high-powered x-rays. The latter approach is more common.

Surgery For Resolving Lung Cancer

If lung cancer is caught in its initial stages (prior to metastasis), surgery can be done to removed the diseased lung tissue. There are three main procedures. The difference between them is the amount of tissue removed.

A wedge resection is the removal of a small portion of diseased tissue along with a surrounding ring of healthy tissue. It is only done in the earliest stages.

A lobectomy is the removal of an entire lobe. Your right lung has three lobes and your left lung has two lobes. Both sides can function well following the removal of a lobe.

A pneumonectomy is the removal of an entire lung. This is typically done when the disease has spread throughout the organ. However, it is used as a last resort since removing the lung severely impairs your overall respiratory function.

In the past, most surgeries were performed by cutting directly into the chest and spreading the patient’s ribs. Today, the three surgeries described above – even a pneumonectomy – can be done with minimally invasive techniques. This, of course, assumes the pulmonary surgeon has received the proper training. Consult your physician to check whether this is the case.

Find More information at CVTSA.com. Early diagnosis can lead to successful results. Find the right doctor for lung cancer treatments. Other information Check out Health Facts

What To Consider When Filing An Asbestos Suit

 

When filing an asbestos suit it’s best to work with an attorney who has experience filing and achieving results these types of lawsuits. Since medical research linking asbestos exposure to certain types of lung cancer has been brought into the spotlight by the media, attorneys have been able to successfully prove that companies are responsible for their employees’ sickness due to asbestos. These lawsuits have caused many businesses to file for bankruptcy due to hefty settlements.

Many people decide to pursue a class action lawsuit against multiple companies rather than fight alone. There are also attorneys who specialize in advertising particular mesothelioma cases and encouraging people to contact them if they were involved with a particular business during a certain time period. These class action asbestos suits can help individuals who need reparations but don’t have the means to hire an attorney for a lengthy legal battle. An asbestos attorney can also help individuals fight measures that attempt to limitthe amount of money a plaintiff is due in a settlement.

Who Can Pursue A Claim?

Any victim suffering from asbestos exposure can file a claim. It’s most common for the victim to file the claim, but family members have been known to file a claim for a victim who died before the case was concluded. Victims commonly seek reparations for medical expenses, lost wages, and punitive damages. Family members can attempt to win monies for funeral costs, medical bills, lost wages, and punitive damages.

Determining the Court and the Litigant

There is a variety of courts who could handle an asbestos suit. An experienced attorney can determine whether to file a claim with a state or federal court, or go through some other means such as a trust fund. Since these cases are so complicated, it’s best to work with a lawyer from the filing of the claim on through.

Another issue is deciding who the litigants are in the complaint. In many cases, there is more than one company to file against. For example, if a factory worker suffered from mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure the claim could be filed against the factory, the construction company who was responsible for the construction of the factory, and the company responsible for manufacturing the asbestos materials. It’s the duty of an asbestos lawyer to figure out which contributors are negligent and the chances that the plaintiff would be awarded a settlement.

Presenting the Claim

After an attorney files the suit, it rests on the plaintiff’s shoulders to provide proof of asbestos exposure. For a successful lawsuit the plaintiff must prove that the defendant knowingly exposed the plaintiff to asbestos. Proof must be furnished that shows the amount of medical expenses, loss of wages, and any punitive damages caused by the asbestos exposure. Many times an attorney can reach a settlement out of court, saving time and money for all parties involved.

For cases where the defendant refuses to accept accountability for the exposure the case will go to trial. Class action lawsuits sometimes avoid a trial and are handled between attorneys. Currently there are legislators who want to limit mesothelioma cases and create a fund for victims of asbestos poisoning. Opponents of such legislation believe that a fund will not contribute near the amount needed for medical care that an asbestos suit would. This a major reason why, asbestos and mesothelioma are still very much a controversial type of litigation.

For more educational information and articles regarding filing your Asbestos Suit, go to the dedicated online site for Asbestos Lawsuit Settlement information.

Understand How To Quit Heavy Smoking

 

Do you want to know how to quit heavy smoking? You should do as the data available clearly shows that you are at greater risk of developing life threatening illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease. There are actually a number of different methods you could use, not all would be suitable for every smoker. You may need to try out a few until you are successful.

To start with you will need the right attitude. If you are not determined to give up then the chance of bringing about a positive outcome are going to be slim. Once you are sure that you want to quit then you should plan how to go about it. It is known that nicotine is an incredibly addictive compound, giving up smoking is never easy no matter how strong your will power.

Try cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day gradually. For example if you usually consume twenty a day then bring it down to fifteen per day for a week, and then ten a day for the next, and so on. A gradual withdrawal would also help you to reduce the cravings that are felt.

Where are your cigarettes right now? If you want to break the habit then do not carry them around in your pocket, leave them in cupboard or drawer in your bedroom. Also when surfing the net or watching television do not have the cigarettes close at hand as you will end up smoking more.

Do you know about nicotine replacement treatment? This is a technique that has proved successful for many heavy smokers. Instead of getting nicotine from cigarettes you use a gum or electronic cigarettes that would placate your cravings.

You should never forget the cost of smoking. When giving up, keep to one side the money that you would normally have spent on cigarettes and then use this to treat yourself once in a while.

Information on how to clean out lungs fast and easy! When you want help quitting smoking for good!

Looking To Fix Lungs After Smoking For Years?

 

Most smokers are aware of the long term effects of smoking cigarettes. While there are certainly many risks involved in smoking, the good news is that once you quit, your body can repair some of the damage smoking has done. You should try to get as much exercise as possible after quitting. It is also a good idea to drink a lot of water. Eating certain specific foods can help as well. If you are wondering about how to fix lungs after smoking, hopefully this information will be of interest to you.

Your body will actually start to repair itself as soon as twenty minuets after your last cigarette. First off, your blood pressure and pulse will drop to normal and your hands and feet will return to normal temperature. After three days your lung capacity will be greater. Your lung functioning will increase thirty percent within two weeks to three months of quitting. Also, between one month and nine months the cilia in your lungs will regenerate, meaning your body can now clean your lungs to reduce infection.

While those amazing things will all naturally occur, there are many things you can do to expedite the process. One very important thing to do is to exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise will help loosen up large chunks from your lungs.

It is important to drink a lot of water as well. While this is always a good idea, it is particularly relevant when quitting smoking because moistening lungs in an important step in healing them.

There are also specific foods that will help the process of recovering after smoking. Some foods to eat are ones rich in complex carbohydrates, like pasta, bread and rice.

If you are looking for more information about how your body can recover from smoking, try searching online. The Internet is a great resource to help you learn about how to fix lungs after smoking.

Have you been a long time smoker and are wondering how to detox lungs once you quit? Your body will actually start healing a few hours after your last smoke. Find out about lung detoxification right now!

Identifying The Telltale Signs Of Early Lung Cancer

 

The earlier lung cancer (LC) is diagnosed and treated, the greater the likelihood you will survive. For this reason, it is critical that symptoms are recognized and reported to your caregiver as early as possible. Experts claim the five-year survival rate for the disease in stage 1 exceeds 60 percent. By contrast, the five-year survival rate after the cancerous cells have metastasized to other areas of the body plummets to under ten percent.

The purpose of this article is to help you recognize the telltale signs of lung cancer – in yourself or your family. If you notice the following symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor.

Persistent Coughing

This is one of the earliest symptoms of the disease, and it is often ignored. Many people contract a persistent cough and mistakenly attribute it to a cold. Making matters worse, those who suffer from asthma, allergies, or other ailments that affect the lungs, often confuse such coughing as the result of those diseases.

If the cough lasts longer than ten days, it is likely due to something other than a common cold. One way to identify a cough as a possible harbinger of lung cancer is to look for bloody sputum. If you cough up material that has a reddish tinge, contact your doctor.

Difficulty Breathing Following Physical Exertion

Breathing difficulties, like a cough, are easy to ignore or attribute to “natural” causes, such as being physically unfit (e.g. overweight). Keep in mind shortness of breath is a common indication of early-stage lung cancer. Your intuition may alert you that your breathing difficulty is due so something more serious than a lack of physical fitness. Don’t ignore your instincts. Make an appointment with your physician.

The Spread Of Pain Throughout Your Body

One of the challenges with catching LC before it spreads beyond the lungs is that it often presents no symptoms. The first indication the disease exists may be aches and pains in your back and shoulders. Many people mistake such pains as being caused by pulled muscles or similar circumstances. In reality, the cancerous cells may have spread beyond the lungs.

Once the disease metastasizes, it becomes nearly impossible to treat with surgery alone. However, a systemic approach that includes radiation therapy and chemotherapy can be used to treat it successfully.

Recurring Lung-Related Illnesses

If you suffer from recurring bouts of bronchitis and are unable to identify the cause, it’s possible the infection is due to lung cancer. The same is true for pneumonia that returns over and over. A tumor may have moved into your air passages, causing a restriction that makes these illnesses more likely to surface.

Many people have a tendency to avoid finding out the root cause of such symptoms. The danger is that neglecting them may allow early-stage lung cancer to go undetected, and thus untreated. Contact your doctor to make sure your ongoing battle with bronchitis and similar infections is unrelated to something more serious.

Minimizing Your Discomfort

Once lung cancer has been diagnosed, you’ll want to relieve your discomfort while your doctor determines an appropriate form of treatment. This can be accomplished with medications, oxygen therapy, steroids, and even nutritional counseling, depending on your symptoms.

Medications are usually necessary to help control pain caused by lung cancer. Oxygen therapy is used to minimize the discomfort that accompanies breathing difficulties. A procedure called thoracentesis may be necessary for your doctor to remove fluid from the area surrounding your lungs. If the disease has caused you to lose your appetite, you may need supplements to increase your caloric intake, and prevent excess weight loss.

Early-stage lung cancer can be treated successfully. But it is vital that the disease is caught before it spreads. If you’re experiencing symptoms that are consistent with those described above, have yourself screened as soon as possible.

Find the right doctor for lung cancer treatments or cardiac surgery. Early diagnosis can lead to successful results.

Are You A Candidate For Lung Cancer Surgery?

 

The form of treatment used to address lung cancer (LC) following diagnosis depends on several factors. The location of the abnormality, the type of disease, and staging all play an important role. While surgery is the preferred approach, it is not always effective. In many cases, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are more appropriate.

Treatment methods can be loosely categorized into two groups: local and systemic. If a tumor remains within a single area of the body (e.g. a lung), surgery can be used to address it. If, on the other hand, cancerous cells have begun to spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy and radiation must be used.

Below, we’ll take a look at each of these areas in more detail. The following will provide a useful guide for determining whether you are a good candidate for lung cancer surgery.

Location Of The Cancerous Mass

If a tumor is localized with sufficient space separating it from major organs, a surgeon may be able to remove it with few, if any, problems. However, if it is located near the heart, removing it may pose significant risks. In such cases, surgeons will sometimes recommend treating the cancerous mass with a non-surgical approach.

Type Of Lung Cancer

Surgery is usually done to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) because small cell lung cancer (SCLC) metastasizes so quickly. Only the smallest SCLC tumors can be removed before the cancerous cells spread and become systemic.

NSCLC, while operable in its early stages (discussed below), is often diagnosed too late for the disease to be treated successively with surgery alone.

Staging Considerations

The basic staging of non-small cell lung cancer begins at stage 0 and progressed until stage 4. Stage 3 is segmented into two distinct stages: 3A and 3b.

The disease is operable up to stage 3A. At that point, tumors will have usually spread to lymph nodes near the site of origin. Once the disease reaches stage 3B, the tumor will have spread to the heart or other nearby structures. At that point, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are used.

Patient’s Health

This is often overlooked by patients who are understandably desperate to have the diseased tissue removed. While minimally invasive lung cancer surgery may be an option to address small tumors, operations for larger masses are often invasive. Thus, the patient must be in sufficiently good health to be a suitable candidate.

Types Of Lung Cancer Surgery

Surgery to remove cancerous cells is performed in one of three ways: wedge resection, lobectomy, or pneumonectomy. A wedge resection is appropriate when the diseased cells are localized within a small portion of the lung. A surgeon will remove the abnormal mass along with a small ring of healthy tissue.

A lobectomy is done when a tumor is large enough that an entire lobe of the lung must be removed. Because the left lung has two lobes while the right lung has three lobes, a left-sided lobectomy may result in greater impairment.

During a pneumonectomy, the surgeon removes the patient’s entire lung. This procedure is done when a lobectomy is inadequate for extracting all of the diseased tissue. Though it is possible to live with a single lung, the operation usually results in substantial impairment.

When lung cancer reaches the point at which it is inoperable, chemotherapy and radiation therapy represent the next best alternatives. Both approaches pose potential side effects. Chemotherapy often results in nausea, diarrhea, loss in appetite, and hair loss. Radiation therapy can cause fatigue, skin irritations, and a persistent cough. There are also long-term risks from radiation exposure, including pulmonary fibrosis.

Lung cancer is treatable, though not always through surgery. Consult your physician to determine the most appropriate form of treatment for your condition.

Find the right doctor for lung cancer treatments . Early diagnosis can lead to successful results. Find a thoracic surgery specialist.

Is Lung Cancer Common?

 

Approximately 219,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. each year – over 103,000 women and nearly 116,000 men and kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. It is responsible for more than 28% of all cancer-related deaths every year.

Roughly 84% of people diagnosed with lung cancer die within five years of their diagnosis, compared to 11% of breast cancer and less than 1% of prostate cancer patients.

While this may sound depressing, it should be borne in mind that people tend to control their risk factors for the disease by making lifestyle choices. It would be surprising if any reader is not aware that smoking dramatically increases the risk of contracting the disease, nor that passive smoking is linked to increased incidence of lung cancer amongst those who do not smoke.
Nevertheless, the incidence of lung cancer is primarily constrained to the elderly, i.e. those over the age of 65 years. Lung cancer is rarely found in patients under the age of 45 (less than 3%), and more than 70% are over 65.

The incidence of lung cancer rose dramatically from the 1930’s as tobacco smoking took hold and became fashionable and socially acceptable. On a global basis, it can be seen that lung cancer rises where anti-smoking education is not practised, however, where countries implement smoker awareness campaigns and it becomes recognized that smoking is a major factor in disposition for contracting the disease.

Men’s mortality (death) rates from lung cancer began declining more than 20 years ago, while women’s lung cancer mortality rates have been rising for decades and just recently began to stabilize. African Americans experience the highest incidence of lung cancer, and the highest death rate.

Less money is spent on lung cancer research than on research on other cancers. In 2007, the National Cancer Institute estimated it spent only it spent only $1,415 per lung cancer death compared to $13,991 per breast cancer death, $10,945 per prostate cancer death, and $4,952 per colorectal cancer.

It is clear from this data that while lung cancer is on the rise in the general population, that there is much work still to be done on researching the condition and developing effective treatments. While anti-smoking legislation and education continue to persuade smokers to quit and non-smokers from starting, we can anticipate a return to the low rates of incidence of this condition in the future. However, at this point in time, it is reasonable to assume that there will in fact be a spike in lung cancer diagnoses as those who have a history of smoking, even though they may have quit, develop the condition.

The very strongest advice for anyone who is concerned about developing lung cancer is simply this – do not smoke! If you already smoke, then quit – there are numerous programs which are highly effective in helping nicotine addicts with kicking the habit and the benefits in financial and health terms is enormous. Stopping smoking very quickly leads to a reduced risk as the lungs can heal very quickly and it is estimated that over 15 years of abstinence, the risk will fall to close to normal levels for non-smokers. If you already do not smoke, then never start!

Find the right doctor for lung cancer treatments. Early diagnosis can lead to successful results. For Other information Check out Health Facts

What Is Lung Cancer?

 

The word cancer tends to strike fear into many people as it is associated with a severe illness that in the past many did not survive. Today treatment has improved dramatically, particularly with some forms of cancer. With continued research further improvements will be made.
The disease first manifests itself in our cells and our bodies are made up of millions of cells. Collectively they form our bones, muscles and organs.

A gene controls a cell and informs it as to what to do. This will include growing and reproducing and usually the cells follow the order. Sometimes instructions become confused and cells start growing and multiplying where they shouldn’t. These groups of cells can form into tumors or lumps and may spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system (this is known as known as metastases).

The lumps or tumors fall into two categories; benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). The difference being that benign tumor cells remain in one place and are not usually a concern.
Malignant tumor cells invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body.
A swollen lymph node often provides the first sign that a malignant tumour has spread (metastasized). Quite often this occurs when a cancerous tumor is close by but cancer may metastasize to practically any part of the body and hence it is important that these type of tumors are found quickly.

The name of a particular cancer is basically defined by the part of the body where they grow. As an example a growth in the lung that spreads to the bladder is known as lung cancer with bladder metastases.

In lung cancer the cells of the lung are first involved.

The two main types of lung cancer are:

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is the most common type of lung cancer. It growth is slower than small cell lung cancer. Approximately 80% of lung cancers diagnosed are this type.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC). This type invades quickly and will spread to other parts of the body.

NSCLC are groups of different cells and there are three types

Squamous cell carcinoma, this is often found in the central part of the lung.

Adenocarcinoma,this generally occurs in the outer part of the lung.

Large cell carcinoma, this can occur almost anywhere in the lung.
Although people with adenocarcinoma have a more favorable outlook, any non-small cell cancers can increase in size quickly and the prognosis can therefore be poor.

Treatment differs for each type of cancer as they do behave very differently. The treatment will depend on the staging of the disease.

Advanced stages of NSCLC may be treated by removal of the affected lung tissue to remove all or part of the tumour. While it may be possible to completely remove the tumor, this may not always be possible.

Chemotherapy and radiation treatment is common and administered after an operation or where the tumor is small enough for surgery not to be necessary. The patients general state of health also plays a part as treatments can be debilitating.

Chemotherapy and radiation are the only real options for those with SCLC and the results generally don’t provide remission but they are successful at extending the patient’s life.

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