Facts About Lung Cancer

What Is A Lung Tumor?

What are the facts about lung cancer? Let's read them to understand what is a lung tumor.

What is lung cancer? It is one of the leading types of cancer and the leading cause of deaths due to the disease worldwide. It has even surpassed breast cancer in causing deaths among women.

It has a poor prognosis. In fact, survival rate after a diagnosis and even with treatment is a low 5-year rate.

It develops in and attacks the tissues of the lungs. Ninety to 95% of lung tumors begin usually in the cells lining both the larger (bronchi) and smaller (bronchioles) airways. Thus, it is also called as bronchogenic tumor.

It can also start in the pleura, the layer of tissues inside the lungs, and is called as mesothelioma.

It is an aggressive type of tumor because it tends to spread even in its first stage. It is also one of the most difficult types to treat because it produces symptoms in a deceptive manner. These facts make it extremely life-threatening.

According to facts about lung cancer, it was not a common type 70 years ago but due to an increase in the use of tobacco, the number of cases has ballooned rapidly.

Although it can spread to any organ in the body, it prefers some organs more than the rest. Most common sites favored by lung tumor to metastasize to are the adrenal glands, the liver, the brain and the bones.

It is regarded as a disease affecting the elderly because majority of the cases are diagnosed among people 65 years old and above.

But remember that tumors do not grow overnight or in a day; they are caused by continually subjecting your cells to environmental toxins.

Many of Chinese women are non-smokers but surprisingly, they have a very high lung cancer rate among them. According to facts about lung cancer by Oncology Channel, this phenomenon can be attributed to exposure to cooking oil vapors and other forms of air pollution in the indoor environments of China.

But personally, I think it is due to frequent exposure to effects of second hand smoke. I have been to two cities – Hangzhou and Shanghai – in China last 2008 and I have seen how Chinese men smoke. Smoking is also allowed everywhere in the country.

Below are articles for further information on what is lung cancer:

Causes of Lung Cancer

If you smoke, please be aware that smoking is a major risk factor. So major that it is the reason for almost 90% of tumor cases involving the lungs. Other factors include exposure to secondhand smoke, aging, family history of cancer and a lot more.

Effects of Quitting Smoking
Benefits of Not Smoking

If you don't smoke, good for you and your family. If you do smoke, then reading these articles will open your eyes to how beneficial giving up the habit is. You might be motivated to dump those cigarettes for good.

Warning Signs and Early Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Tumors in the lungs don't exhibit early signs that's why awareness of symptoms such as persistent smoker's cough, chronic cough even if you don't smoke, and unexplained pain at the back and shoulders that doesn't go away - is very important.

Sources:

Lung Cancer Overview(oncologychannel)
National Cancer Institute

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