Cancer Information

Lung Cancer and YOU!

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths among men and women in the United States. There are two major types of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. Non-small cell makes up about 80 to 90 percent of the cases; small cell, approximately 10 to 12 percent. In 2005, an estimated 172,570 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed, making it the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and accounting for 13 percent of all cancer diagnoses. An estimated 163,510 individuals will die from the disease, this is about 29 percent of all cancer deaths. Among all patients with lung cancer, 42 percent are alive after one year – an increase from 37 percent in 1975. In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death each year in women. Good news: Lung cancer death rates in women have recently leveled off after decades of continual increase. Also, death rates in men have dropped by about 1.9 percent a year since 1991.

The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped breathing organs that are found within the chest. The lungs bring oxygen into the body and take out carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of the body’s cells. Each lung has sections called lobes. The left lung has 2 lobes. The right lung, which is slightly larger, has 3 lobes. A thin membrane called the pleura surrounds the lungs. Two tubes called bronchi lead from the trachea (windpipe) to the right and left lungs. The bronchi are sometimes also involved in lung cancer. Tiny air sacs called alveoli and small tubes called bronchioles make up the inside of the lungs.

Symptoms of lung cancer that are clearly and directly related to lung function are:

• Coughing, the most common symptom
• Bloody sputum
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Hoarseness
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing or vibrating breathing noises
• Recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis
• Difficulty swallowing

Early Detection and Diagnosis

It is extremely difficult to detect lung cancer early. If lung cancer is suspected, a chest X-ray or a spiral CT (computed tomography) scan will be taken to look for a spot or mass on the lungs, or for lung tumors.

Prevention

Studies have confirmed that 85 to 95 percent of lung cancers are smoking related. Therefore, the primary way for people to reduce their risk of developing the disease is to quit. To non-smokers, this may seem easy; however, as many smokers who have tried to quit will attest, this is extremely difficult. The addiction to nicotine has been likened to that of heroin, crack and cocaine, which are perhaps even more powerful. This may account for why so many smokers fail numerous attempts to quit, as well as the strong rationale to increase assistance for those people who desire to quit smoking permanently.

Changing your behavior is a significant first step to ultimately reducing your chance of being diagnosed with lung cancer. Yet, that is only part of the solution. Researchers believe that legislation designed to dissuade people from starting to smoke, coupled with efforts to help people quit, will have a positive impact on the number of new lung cancer diagnosis.

While the risk for former smokers remains elevated – as compared to a non-smoker – the risk continues to fall with the number of years of smoking cessation. After 10 years of abstinence, a person who has quit smoking reduces their risk anywhere from 30 to 50 percent.

Below are pictures of what cigarette smoking does to human tissue, namely lungs, the primary intake port of the most required substance necessary for life...oxygen. The human body can live for weeks without food; days without water; but only a few minutes without oxygen. Normal lungs are red/pink in color, symmetrical in shape, and have an even, uniformly porous texture. If you are a long term smoker, and have been experiencing shortness of breath, coughing spells, lower- or mid-chest pains, your lungs may now be looking somewhat similar to these. These two pictures contrast healthy lungs against a cancerous pair. On the left is a fairly normal pair. The large, pink item in the lower center between them is the heart. The area of the cancerous pair that isn't black, but yellowish gray, is the cancer. The bulbous knobby tissue is tumors.