Patient Education: Risks, Symptoms, and Diagnosis of Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is a serious disease that affects many people and their families. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Cigarette smoke causes most lung cancers, but there are a number of factors that can cause lung cancer.
If a person has lung cancer, tests can determine the type of lung cancer and whether it has spread. If cancer is suspected, X-rays, imaging scans, and blood tests should be done. A biopsy is a procedure that removes small tissue from a tumor so it can be examined and examined under a microscope.
When cancer spreads, it is called "metastasis". Cancer status is determined by the size of the tumor and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body. The condition worsens as the tumor enlarges or metastasizes. One of the guiding factors in treatment options is the stage of the disease.
This article will discuss the risks of developing lung cancer, the different types of lung cancer, the symptoms, and testing for people with lung cancer. Finally, this article will review the steps taken to determine each stage of the disease.
Some additional risk factors
Age: -
The risk of developing lung cancer increases with age. Lung cancer can occur in young people, although it is more common in people under 40 years of age. After the age of 40, the risk of developing lung cancer slowly increases each year.
Family and genetic risk: -
Some people have a genetic predisposition to lung cancer. Anyone with a first-degree relative (parent or sibling) who has been diagnosed with lung cancer is at risk of developing lung cancer.
Lung Disease and Other Cancers:-
People with another type of cancer may be at risk of developing lung cancer.
This is especially true for those who use tobacco-related cancers, such as throat cancer, or who have received radiation therapy for the chest area. In addition, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis (PULMONARY FIBROSIS) have a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Screening tests for lung cancer
Lung cancer screening is not recommended for those at low risk.
For those at high risk, screening for lung cancer with a low-level computed tomography (CT) scan can reduce the risk of death from lung cancer. This applies to people between the ages of 50 and 80, and those with a history of 20 pack-years of cigarette use (e.g., 1 pack per day for 20 years, or 2 packs per day for 10 years), and those who have quit or quit smoking in the last 15 years.
Symptoms of lung cancer:-
When lung cancers are small and early in the stage, the person may feel normal and have no symptoms. If cancer develops into advanced stages, most people will experience one or more symptoms.
However, the symptoms of lung cancer may be similar to the symptoms of other common problems. If you are worried about your symptoms, talk to your doctor or nurse.
The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:-
● Cough - A new cough that is getting worse or worsening may be a sign of lung cancer.
● Blood in the cough - the medical term for this is "hemoptysis". Anyone with a bloody cough, whether it is frozen, streaked, or rusty in color, should see a doctor as soon as possible for an evaluation.
●Shortness of breath - especially if it comes on quickly, is a major symptom if you feel difficulty breathing.
●Chest infections (such as bronchitis or pneumonia) do not heal with treatment or return quickly after treatment.
●Shortness of breath (a whistling sound when you breathe).
● Dull, sharp, or stabbing chest pain.
●Voice hoarseness.
●Headache and swelling in the face, arms, or neck.
● Pain in the arms, shoulders, and neck - This can be caused by a tumor in the upper part of the lungs (called a pancreatic tumor). Other symptoms include weakness of the arm muscles (due to pressure on the nerve that triggers the arm), drooping eyelids, and blurred vision.
●General Health Symptoms - Although there are no symptoms related to lung, breathing, or chest, there are common signs that indicate lung cancer. These include:
●Indescribable weight loss
●Fatigue or lethargy
●A condition in which bone or joint pain does not go away or worsens
Early testing and diagnosis:-
If you have symptoms that indicate lung cancer, your doctor will ask specific questions about your symptoms and get a physical exam. Yours
If the test results are still related to the disease, additional tests, including a blood test and X-rays or scans, may be ordered.
If a chest x-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, or positron emission tomography (PET) scan shows abnormalities that may indicate cancer, additional tests may be performed to remove the tumor and usually a biopsy.
A biopsy can be performed in one of the following ways:-
● Bronchoscopy is a flexible tube with a camera and other small instruments inserted through your mouth or nose and then inserted into the trachea
●Endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy (EBUS) is a technique that combines flexible trachea and ultrasound to first look at the lymph nodes in the chest and then take biopsies from the enlarged lymph node.
●CT-guided microscopic needle biopsy is performed by inserting a thin needle through the skin to detect the tumor by CT scan and remove a small sample of tissue.
●An injection aspiration is performed by inserting a needle into a tumor or lymph node that can be felt under the skin or seen by ultrasound.
● Thoracentesis is the insertion of a needle and small catheter into a fluid collection in the chest to remove fluid and see through a microscope.
● If the tumor is small or other biopsy procedures are not conclusive, surgery may be required to remove it completely. The most common surgical procedures are mediastinoscopy. It is used to biopsy the lymph nodes in the center of the chest.
●Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery:-
It is a less invasive route for biopsy of lung tissue; And thoracotomy, which is a major surgery to remove large areas of lung tissue or tumors.
Advanced screening for lung cancer
In addition to looking at the tumor with a microscope, some lung cancers can be tested for abnormal proteins called biomarkers or mutations in their DNA.
Common biomarkers of lung cancer include projected cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) exposure, epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) transplants, and c-ROS oncogene 1 (ROS).
Types of lung cancer
There are different types of lung cancers; Based on how cancer cells look under the microscope. However, two main types are used to determine the best treatment approach.
●85 to 90 percent of people with lung cancer are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There are subtypes of NSCLC, the most common of which are adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.
● Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is found in about 10 to 15 percent of the population
The reason for classifying lung cancer in this way is that the two types grow differently and metastasize. Small cell and non-small cell cancers also have different treatments for surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)Stage: -
Once lung cancer is diagnosed, the next step is to carefully measure the size of the tumor, determine its exact location and look for evidence of its spread. This process is called staging.
Determining the stage of lung cancer is complicated because various tests and procedures are used when determining the stage.
Staging tests focus on confirming the presence or absence of tumors in specific areas of the body.
Staging can be done using a combination of computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, and positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
If suspicious findings are found, a biopsy may be needed to confirm the presence of metastasis. More than one biopsy or invasive procedure is often required to fully diagnose lung cancer.
Factors used to exclude a stage for small non-cellular cancer: (NSCLC)
●Tumor size and location. This is called the "T" factor.
●Does the tumor occupy the lymph nodes and tissues inside the chest? This is called the "N" factor.
●Whether the tumor has spread to areas outside the chest (for example, lung cancer can spread to the bones, liver, adrenal glands, or elsewhere). This is called the "M" factor.
Factors T, N, and M are linked into groups that determine the overall cancer stage.
NSCLC Levels I to IV. Low numbers (stages I and II) indicate that the tumor is small or has not been found to spread beyond the chest High numbers (stages III and IV) indicate that the tumor is large or metastasized.
Small Cell Lung Cancer Stage (SCLC):-
The technical position for SCLC is similar to that of NSCLC. However, treatment options are usually determined by a simplified system. This is because SCLC has different development patterns and different forecasts.
SCLC is generally classified as a "defined" or "comprehensive" disease. This system helps to determine which treatment is most effective.
●Limited disease - This refers to SCLCs on one side of the chest and lymph nodes.
●Comprehensive disease - This refers to SCLC, which spreads to the opposite side of the chest or to distant places outside the chest.
