Lung cancer- diagnosis, treatments

Cigarettes are packed with cancer-causing chemicals. They also disarm the lungs' natural defense system. The airways are lined with tiny hairs called cilia. To protect the lungs, they sweep out toxins, bacteria, and viruses. Tobacco smoke stops the cilia from doing their job. This lets the cancer-causing chemicals build up.

 Symptoms

Lung cancer begins quietly. There are usually no symptoms or warning signs in the early stages. As it gets worse, you may notice: Fatigue
A cough that won't go away
Chest pain, especially during deep breaths
Wheezing or shortness of breath
Coughing up bloody phlegm

Spiral CT may pick up early lung cancers in some people, but it's not clear whether it finds them early enough to save lives. Smokers should get scans. If either your x-ray or sputum test suggests that you could have cancer, then biopsy is the next procedure.This is done normally through FNA, where n fine needle is inserted and a small sample of the tumour is taken out to determine if it is cancer or not.

Two Main Types

Small-cell lung cancer is more aggressive, meaning it can spread quickly to other parts of the body early in the disease. It is due to cigarette use and is rare in nonsmokers. Non-small-cell lung cancer grows more slowly and is more common. It's responsible for almost 85% of all lung cancers.

 Small-cell lung cancer is divided into two stages: "Limited" means the cancer is confined to one lung and maybe nearby lymph nodes. "Extensive" means the cancer has spread to the other lung or beyond. Non-small-cell lung cancer is assigned a stage of I through IV, depending on how far it has spread.

 Treatment
When doctors find non-small-cell lung cancer before it spreads beyond one lung, an operation can sometimes help. The surgeon may remove the part of the lung that has the tumor, or if necessary, the entire lung. Some people get radiation or chemotherapy afterward to kill any remaining cancer cells. Surgery usually doesn’t help with small-cell lung cancer because it probably has already spread before diagnosis.
  
In Advanced Lung Cancer
When lung cancer spreads too far to be cured, treatments may still help people live longer and have a better quality of life. Radiation and chemotherapy can shrink tumors and help control symptoms, such as bone pain or blocked airways. Chemotherapy is usually the main treatment for small-cell lung cancer.

Modern Treatments

Targeted therapy plus chemotherapy may help, if other approaches don’t work. One type prevents the growth of new blood vessels that feed cancer cells. Others interrupt the signals that prompt lung cancer cells to multiply, as shown in the image here.
Immunotherapy works with your immune system to fight advanced cases of non-small-cell lung cancer. It doesn’t work for everyone, but when it does, the results look strong. You’d also get chemotherapy.

Quit Smoking- According to studies, it is found that even those who are diagnosed with lung cancer, of they quit smoking, do better than those who don't quit !
Second-hand smoke --- Breathing in secondhand smoke at home or at work also appears to raise your risk. People who are married to someone who smokes are 20% to 30% more likely to get lung cancer than the spouses of nonsmokers.
Dangers of jobs-  People who work with uranium, arsenic, and other chemicals should try to limit their exposure. Asbestos, which was once widely used in insulation, is a known cause of lung cancer. It’s rarely used now, but workers who were exposed years ago are still at risk.
 Radon Gas

This natural radioactive gas is found at higher than normal levels in certain parts of the U.S. The gas can build up inside homes and raise the risk of lung cancer, especially in people who smoke. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. You can’t smell or see it, but you can use a simple test kit to find it.

Other risks of Lung cancer-
A family history of lung cancer
Drinking water that's high in arsenic
Lung cancer does happen to people with no well-known risk factors -- including those who've never smoked. Researchers don't know why. It seems to happen to women more than men. And one type, adenocarcinoma, is more common in nonsmokers than smokers.

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.

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