• What is lung cancer?


    Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and also the most common in women. It happens when there is an uncontrolled growth of cells in the lung tissue. It can extend to adjacent organs causing metastasis. The main types of lung cancer are small cell lung carcinoma and non-small cell lung carcinoma.


    How important is to determine which symptoms are showing a lung cancer syndrome?


    Only doctors can diagnose if you are close to get lung cancer by diagnosing the presence of simultaneous symptoms caused by the same reason. Even though lung cancer is not a disease but a group of diseases that affect the same organ, these show the same symptoms most of the time. It happens when there is an uncontrolled cell growth in the lung's tissue.

    All syndromes have their own characteristics and it's necessary to identify them, for example some syndromes which can cause lung cancer are:

    • Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone: low blood levels of sodium caused by a secretion from the antidiuretic hormone by the tumor.
    • Blood syndromes: abnormal growth of red and white blood cells and platelets.
    • Vein and artery syndromes: Thrombophlebitis, Arterial thrombosis, Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis.
    • Skin syndromes: supposed reaction of the blood cells and its antibodies to the tumor or any of its substances.
    • Musculoskeletal syndromes: tumors that produce hormones and cause unusual tissue growth.
    • Nervous syndromes: apparently caused by an attack of antibodies against healthy tissue.
    • Hormonal syndromes: some types of lung cancer affect parts of the brain or others organs such as kidneys, adrenal glands, thyroid, ovaries, or testes.
    • Miscellaneous syndromes: hyperuricemia, nephrotic syndrome, cachexia.

    Which are the primary lung cancer symptoms?


    • Cough
    • A persistent cough that worsens
    • Coughing up blood
    • Chest pain
    • Shortness of breath
    • Wheezing
    • Hoarseness
    • Repeated respiratory infections

    How does the lung cancer treatment follow?


    To choose the correct treatment some factors may be taken into consideration such as, type of lung cancer ( the diseased tissue) and the stage of the cancer. Oncologists and the patient should evaluate the treatment possibilities, since the overall health condition of the patient is important to determine the treatment, as well as the medical conditions and the tumor's characteristics. Some types of therapies are:

    • Surgical resection
    • Photodynamic therapy
    • Electrosurgery
    • Radiotherapy
    • Radiosurgery

    Which are the different stages for lung cancer?


    To determine the stages of lung cancer is to know how much it has extended in the lung or in other organs. Non-small cell lung cancer stages are defined according to the tumor's size, the level of lymph node involvement and how much it has spread (metastasis). Lung stage 4 cancer is the last stage.

    • Stage 0: lining of air passages and hasn't invaded lung tissue.
    • Stage I: has spread to layers of lung tissue but has not reached the lymph nodes or beyond.
    • Stage II: has invaded lymph nodes or spread to the chest wall.
    • Stage IIIA: The cancer has spread from the lung to lymph nodes beyond the lung area.
    • Stage IIIB: has spread to areas such as the heart, blood vessels, trachea and esophagus - all within the chest.
    • Stage IV : has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, bones or brain.

    The chances of surviving at a lung stage 4 cancer are low since it has invaded many parts of the body, the best stage to fight against it is stage 0 or 1 because at that time it hasn't spread to organs or parts of the body that compromise a person's life and therapies respond very good. Be aware of lung cancer symptoms specially if you are a smoker or if you have close and constant contact with cigarette smoke. Before diagnosing lung cancer it is very important to determine factors that may end up in cancer such as lung cancer syndromes.