Cancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages, is known as Lung Cancer. The two main types are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope.
Lung cancer is a disease that consists of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. The vast majority of primary lung cancers are carcinomas, derived from epithelial cells. Lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women, is responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide annually, as of 2004. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath, coughing (including coughing up blood), and weight loss.
The main types of lung cancer are small-cell lung carcinoma and non-small-cell lung carcinoma. This distinction is important, because the treatment varies; non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is sometimes treated with surgery, while small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) usually responds better to chemotherapy and radiation. The most common cause of lung cancer is long-term exposure to tobacco smoke.
Lung cancer may be seen on chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT scan). The diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy. This is usually performed by bronchoscopy or CT-guided biopsy. Treatment and prognosis depend upon the histological type of cancer, the stage (degree of spread), and the patient’s performance status. Possible treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Survival varies, depending on stage, overall health, and other factors, but the overall five-year survival rate for all persons diagnosed with lung cancer is 14%.
Causes of Lung Cancer:
Smoking tobacco is the main cause of lung cancer. People who live or work with people who smoke are also at increased risk because they are exposed to second-hand smoke.
Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers — both in smokers and in people exposed to secondhand smoke. But lung cancer also occurs in people who never smoked and in those who never had prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke. In these cases, there may be no clear cause of lung cancer. Doctors have identified factors that may increase the risk.
How smoking causes lung cancer –
Doctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately. At first your body may be able to repair this damage. But with each repeated exposure, normal cells that line your lungs are increasingly damaged. Over time, the damage causes cells to act abnormally and eventually cancer may develop.
Other factors that increase the risk of lung cancer include:
- Exposure to asbestos and some other substances, such as arsenic or drinking water that contains high levels of arsenic, chromium and nickel, especially if you are a smoker
- Exposure to radon gas
- Having had lung cancer before
- Family history of lung cancer
- Air pollution
Some people develop lung cancer without any of these risk factors.
Lung Cancer Symptoms:
What are the early symptoms of lung cancer? We know that the survival rate from lung cancer is better the earlier it is caught. The 60% to 80% 5-year survival rate with stage 1lung cancer drops to a saddening 10% with stage 4 diseases, yet nearly half of people have progressed to this advanced stage at the time of diagnosis.
Keep in mind that understanding the early symptoms of lung cancer is important for non-smokers as well as smokers. At present, 50% of people who develop lung cancer are former smokers, and 15% have never smoked.
The symptoms of lung cancer can be:
- Having a cough most of the time
- A change in a cough you have had for a long time
- Being short of breath
- Coughing up phlegm (sputum) with signs of blood in it
- An ache or pain when breathing or coughing
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue
- Losing weight
- Having a chest infection that doesn’t go away with treatment
Less common Symptoms of Lung Cancer:
There are other symptoms of lung cancer that are less common. They are usually due to more advanced lung cancer. They include
- A hoarse voice
- Difficulty swallowing
- Swelling of the face or neck
- Changes in the shape of your fingers and nails called finger clubbing
- Shortness of breath caused by fluid around the lungs (called a pleural effusion)
- Pain or discomfort under your ribs on your right side (from cancer cells in the liver)
All of these symptoms can be caused by other diseases apart from lung cancer. Some types of lung cancer can produce hormones that cause symptoms that don’t seem to be anything to do with the lungs.
Types of Lung Cancer:
There are two main types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. These names refer to how the cancers look under a microscope to a pathologist.
Most cancers are non-small cell. There are subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer. Because different types of lung cancer are treated differently, your oncologist will determine exactly what treatment is best for you.
Remember, no matter what type or what stage of lung cancer you have, there are treatment options.
NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER (NSCLC):
NSCLC accounts for about 80% of lung cancers. There are different types of NSCLC, including
- Squamous cell carcinoma (also called epidermoid carcinoma) – This is the most common type of NSCLC. It forms in the lining of the bronchial tubes and is the most common type of lung cancer in men.
- Adenocarcinoma– This cancer is found in the glands of the lungs that produce mucus. This is the most common type of lung cancer in women and also among people who have not smoked.
- Bronchioalveolar carcinoma– This is a rare subset of adenocarcinoma. It forms near the lungs’ air sacs. Recent clinical research has shown that this type of cancer responds more effectively to the newer targeted therapies.
- Large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma– This cancer forms near the surface, or outer edges, of the lungs. It can grow rapidly.
SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER (SCLC):
SCLC accounts for about 20% of all lung cancers. Although the cells are small, they multiply quickly and form large tumors that can spread throughout the body. Smoking is almost always the cause of SCLC.
Treatment for Lung Cancer:
There are a number of different treatment options for lung cancer. Standard treatment options include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Newer lung cancer treatment approaches include photodynamic therapy, electrocautery, cryosurgery, laser surgery, targeted therapy and internal radiation. Each lung cancer treatment has its own specific ability to fight cancer and its own set of side effects and possible complications. Therefore while there are many options, lung cancer treatment needs to be performed judiciously and only after very careful consideration of a number of factors.
Lung cancer treatment is tailored to the needs and wishes of the individual patient. General guidelines exist to direct medical professionals as they make their decisions; though each treatment plan is designed with a particular patient in mind. Even so, it is important for people diagnosed with lung cancer to understand their options. It is useful to know which cancer treatment has the greatest chance of success in a particular situation, which treatments are more experimental in nature, which treatments are likely to be ineffective, and which treatments are aimed at reducing symptoms (palliative) rather than achieving a cure.
As with most cancer treatments, the choice of therapy is dictated mostly by the cancer type and the stage of the disease. In lung cancer there are two main types, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). While there are several different stages and subdivisions of NSCLC differentiated by numbers and letters, SCLC has only two stages: limited and extensive disease. As oncologists are considering choices in therapy, the stage and type of lung cancer factor heavily on the decision.
Complication of Lung Cancer:
A number of factors may increase your risk of lung cancer. Some risk factors can be controlled, for instance, by quitting smoking. And other factors can’t be controlled, such as your sex. Risk factors for lung cancer include:
Smoking- Smoking remains the greatest risk factor for lung cancer. Your risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Quitting at any age can significantly lower your risk of developing lung cancer.
Exposure to secondhand smoke- Even if you don’t smoke, your risk of lung cancer increases if you’re exposed to secondhand smoke.
Exposure to radon gas- Radon is produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water that eventually becomes part of the air you breathe. Unsafe levels of radon can accumulate in any building, including homes. Radon testing can determine whether levels are safe.
Exposure to asbestos and other chemicals- Workplace exposure to asbestos and other substances known to cause cancer — such as arsenic, chromium, nickel and tar — also can increase your risk of developing lung cancer, especially if you’re a smoker.
Family history of lung cancer- People with a parent, sibling or other first-degree relative with lung cancer has an increased risk of the disease.
Excessive alcohol use- Drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol — no more than one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men — may increase your risk of lung cancer.
Certain lung diseases- People with certain lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, may have an increased risk of lung cancer.
Lung Cancer Surgery:
Surgery to remove all or part of a lung involves making a cut on one side of your chest (thorax) during a procedure called a thoracotomy. Surgery that uses this approach avoids areas in the chest that contain the heart and the spinal cord.
Lung surgery (thoracotomy) – The types of lung surgery are:
Wedge resection (segmentectomy) – The surgeon removes a small wedge-shaped piece of lung that contains the lung cancer and a margin of healthy tissue around the cancer. This is likely to be done when your lung function would be decreased too much by removing a lobe of lung (lobectomy). The risk of lung cancer coming back (recurring) is higher with this method.
Lobectomy– The right lung has three lobes and the left lung has two lobes. A lobectomy removes the entire lobe of your lung that contains the cancer. Your lungs can function with the lobes that remain.
Pneumonectomy– A pneumonectomy removes your entire lung that contains the lung cancer. A pneumonectomy is done only when necessary because it will greatly reduce your overall lung function.
Chemotherapy: This therapy deals with exposing lung cancer tumors to chemicals. These chemicals destroy tumors found along the walls of the lungs.
Radiation therapy: This therapy deals with exposing lung cancer tumors to powerful alpha, beta and gamma rays. These radiations have high intensity and destroy the cancer tumors seen in the lungs.
Cost of Lung Cancer treatment Surgery in India:
In comparison to conventional surgery, Lung Cancer offers patients many benefits in terms of results and low costs. Cost savings include:
- Lower treatment cost – Lung cancer treatment is 30 to 70 percent less expensive than hospitalization for craniotomy and surgical resection
- Fewer charges because most patients are released within 24 hours
- Faster recovery eliminates the hidden costs of long convalescence
Why India?
Lung cancer surgery in India is available at various hospitals that offer a truly comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to cardiac treatment. India is one of the most favorable tourist destinations in the world. Medical treatment combined with tourism has come into effect, from which the concept of Medical Tourism has derived. Surgery in India is not only effective but the waiting time is almost nil, this is due to the outburst of the private sector which comprises of hospitals and clinics with the latest technology and best practitioners. India’s medical care sector has seen an enormous growth in infrastructure in the private and voluntary sector. This flourishing industry is equipped with the most modern state-of-the-art technology. If you are looking to get lung cancer treatment in India then you have made the right decision. Cancer surgery hospitals of India at Delhi and Mumbai are centers that practice the latest state of art medical technology to cure lung cancer. These hospitals provide lung cancer treatment in India at a low cost. The cancer surgeons in India are pioneers in their work. They provide rapid healing to patients through their curative skills.
