What is Lung Cancer?
The Lungs
Your lungs are two sponge-like organs found in your chest cavity. Your right lung is divided into 3 sections, called lobes. Your left lung has 2 lobes and is smaller because the heart takes up more room on that side of the body.
When you breathe, air goes into your lung through the trachea (windpipe). The trachea divides into tubes called the bronchi, which divide into smaller branches called the bronchioles. At the end of the bronchioles are tiny air sacs known as alveoli. Many tiny blood vessels run through the alveoli, absorbing oxygen from the inhaled air into your bloodstream and releasing carbon dioxide. Taking in oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide are your lungs' main function.
Lung cancer is a devastating disease, taking a terrible toll on those diagnosed and their loved ones. As the leading cancer killer in both men and women in the United States, it kills more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. Approximately 84% of people diagnosed with lung cancer die within five years of their diagnosis. Late diagnosis is mostly to blame: only 16% of lung cancer patients are diagnosed before their disease has spread to other parts of their bodies.
Background and Diagnosis
We cannot explain why one person develops lung cancer and another does not. However, we do know that a person with certain risk factors may be more likely than others to develop lung cancer.
Risk Factors
Research has found several causes and risk factors for lung cancer. A risk factor is anything that changes the chance of getting a disease. Lung cancer risk factors include—
• Smoking
• Secondhand smoke from other people's cigarettes
• Radon gas in the home
• Things around home or work, including asbestos, ionizing radiation, and other cancer-causing substances
• Medical exposure to radiation to the chest
• Chronic lung disease such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis
• Increased age
Symptoms
Different people have different symptoms for lung cancer. Some people don't have any symptoms at all when first diagnosed with lung cancer. Lung cancer symptoms can be due to the direct effect of growth of cancer cells in the lung, or due to the effect of cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. Lung cancer symptoms due to growth of cancer cells in the lung may include—
• a cough that gets worse or does not go away
• breathing trouble, such as shortness of breath
• constant chest pain
• coughing up blood
• a hoarse voice
• frequent lung infections such as pneumonia
• persistent fatigue
• weight loss with no apparent cause
These symptoms can happen with other illnesses, too. Talk to your doctor if you have symptoms that concern you.
Treatment
Lung cancer is treated in several ways, depending on the type of lung cancer and how far it has spread. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. People with lung cancer often get more than one kind of treatment.
Prevention
You can reduce your risk of developing lung cancer in several ways.
• Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, quit now.
• Avoid secondhand smoke. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure.
• Have your home tested for radon and take corrective actions if high levels are found.
• Avoid unnecessary medical tests that involve X-ray images of the chest.
• Follow health and safety guidelines in the workplace.


