Lung Cancer Essay, Research Paper
Lung disease (in general) is the number three killer in America, responsible for one in seven deaths. Lung disease and other breathing problems is the number one killer of babies younger than one year old. “Lung cancer claims more lives each year than breast, prostate and colorectal cancer combined, but somehow the statistics fail to capture the enormous toll taken by this disease,” says Diane Blum. You may ask, Is there a cure ? The answer to this question is yes and no. Yes some are cured of cancer in the lungs, and no, not everyone who is treated is going to live a full life. (http://content.health.msn.com/content/dmk/dmk_article5461883)This can get a little hard to follow so it s easiest to talk about the basics first. A good question that you might have is, what is cancer ? In ones best words, cancer is a group of a bunch of different diseases. It occurs when cells become unusual or abnormal, and it keeps dividing and forming more cells without control or order, in other words its like the cells are in reproductive chaos. All of the organs in the body are made up of very many cells. Normally, the cells separate to produce more cells only when your body asks for them or needs them. This organized route helps keep us healthy and on the right side of health. But if our cells keep dividing and separating when new cells aren t needed, an unwanted mass of tissue forms. The unwanted mass of extra tissue, (which we would normally call a growth tumor or even a cyst), can be of little, or no importance.Now the benign tumors are not the cancer. They are normally just surgically removed; in the majority of the time do not return. In addition to that the tumors don t spread to any other parts of the body. The benign tumors are hardly ever life threatening. However, the malignant tumors are cancer. The cancer cells normally try to invade and damage the tissues and organs that it is closest to. The cancer cells can also break away from the malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream of your lymphatic system. This is how cancer metastasizes (spreads) from the main tumor to form other tumors all over the other parts of your body. Metastasis is a word used to describe the spread of cancer. (dmk_article_5462746)By the time someone is experiencing any signs or is suspecting lung cancer it is usually unfortunately, in an advanced stage. This is because lung cancer is one of the hardest most difficult cancers to diagnose early. One might say, that s not fair , and it isn t, that s why scientist and doctors are trying to come up with new and advanced ways to detect cancers sooner. Chest x-rays and physical examination are the first approach that doctors will take but after that they take more advanced techniques such as; Sputum cytology, Bronchoscopy, Biopsy, and CT or CAT scans or PET scans or MRI s. The sputum cytology is just looking at phlegm under a microscope. Bronchoscopy is a process that doctors need to slip a little camera (a fiber optic) through the nose, by doing this they can just look at a TV and they don t have to open you up by surgery, so its really pretty convenient. A Biopsy is the removal and examination of a sample of tissue under a microscope. The CT or Cat scans, the PET scans, and the MRIs, are all machines that require you to lay flat and examine you to make multidimensional figures of your body. Remember that the earlier that the cancer is detected the better your chances are for a complete recovery. Recent studies have proven that the PET scans and the CT scans used together can actually eliminate surgery that would be needless and actually save you money. That s good news for any cancer patients. (www.msnbc.com/news) When you are treating cancer in the lungs, it is split into two categories. These categories are small cell and non-small cell. The main treatment for non-small cell type is surgery. A drug that is used to help the survival rates for the small cell is called Chemotherapy. This medicine is give through an IV and injected into a vein or muscle. By doing this, the chemotherapy is going to travel throughout the body. The way that they give this medication to you is in stages, you will receive some and then they would give you a rest and you would recover from it. This process is repeated as many times as needed. It is important that this medication is not thought of as the cure or the miracle drug. One might say, Well that sounds like a good drug, but is there any side affects? That s is a good question, Yes there are side affects in this drug. Patients can have loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, hai
A disease called Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS), is normally found in other parts of the body but can have manifestations in the lungs . KS is a cancer complicating HIV virus and although it can involve a variety of areas in the body, approximately a third of KS cases involve the lungs. So far there has been little success in treating the deadly disease we call Kaposi’s Sarcoma. If you care to cut down the risks to your own personal health you should try to avoid anything that may damage your lungs or your health generally and thus weaken your body’s defenses against infection. Most substances known as “recreational drugs,” including alcohol and cigarettes as well as illegal drugs, can and do cause some damage. Lymphoma is another type of cancer, which is manifest in the lungs and especially in the lymph nodes near the lungs. Treatment for lymphoma is chemotherapy. (www.aegis.com/news/pr/1995/Pr950916)Believe it or not, but women are actually more prone to lung cancer than man because of their genetic background. Lung cancer is progressively more a women’s disease. Since 1987, lung cancer has outpaced breast cancer as the primary cancer killer of women and is expected to claim the lives of roughly 65,000 women this year alone (more than breast cancer and ovarian cancer combined). That is an alarming statistic. (www.msnbc.com/news) Advances in surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have increased survival rates and improved the quality of life of lung cancer patients a lot, even when the cancer is diagnosed in later stages. This is great news for one who has just been diagnosed with this life threatening disease. The common five-year survival rate has almost doubled from 8 percent in 1964 to 14 percent in 1997. Not only are those on treatment getting their chances practically doubled for surviving, but the quality of life they are having while they are on the medication is much better than with earlier medicines. Scientists are still hoping for more breakthroughs. California s tough anti-smoking actions and public health campaigns have contributed in a 14 percent decrease in lung cancer over the past 10 years, the government reported. Smoking is one of the biggest contributors of lung cancer. Although air pollution isn t very good for your lungs, the density of smoke from your favorite cigarettes is worse for you if you re a 1st hand smoker. (message_board_topic/115)Although the doctors can prolong your life up to a year, (if diagnosed with lung cancer) that isn t enough time. It is said that you can actually fight cancer before it hits you by being on a high protein diet, but this statement is not one-hundred per-cent reliable. Did you know 90% of lung cancer cases are smoking-related? Quitting reduces your lung cancer risk significantly, although former smokers are still at greater risk compared to people who never smoked. It is important not to take the tar and nicotine loosely. In the tobacco there are actually 3,000 different substances that eat at you like acid. If you are a smoker, you most likely already have the smokers cough. But if you have more than that such as, wheezing, persistent hoarseness, headache, weight loss, chest pain and coughing up blood, than you should see a doctor as soon as possible. (Kindersley, page148, 1995)In conclusion, lung disease is a big killer and is feared by many, and it should be. It takes many deaths each year and we don t have a one hundred per cent cure yet. For the most part, staying off cigarettes or quitting smoking is something that will increase your chances of not getting lung cancer if you have not done so already. Believe it or not but the anti smoking efforts are helping statistics. As a matter a fact, doctors and scientists are doing the best that they can to increase cancer survivor rates. However, quitting smoking would be the best chance for prevention of lung cancer. No, not everyone who is treated is going to live a full life, but the probability is getting better and better. (Used the body of the paper) Lung cancerWritten by:Bryan BorenitschBibliographyClayman, Charles. The Human Body. New York: DK Publishing, Inc. 1995.www.aegis.com/news/pr/1995/PR950916http://content.health.msn.com/content/dmk/dmk_article(s)5461883. http://content.health.msn.com/content/dmk/dmk article5962841.http://content.health.msn.com/content/dmk/dmk article5462746.http://content.health.msn.com/message_board_topic/115www.msnbc.com/news