Lung Cancer Essay

What are lung cancers? Lung cancers are the abnormal cells which grow in uncontrolled manner in one or both lungs. They do not function as normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. The abnormal cells can grow, form tumours and interfere with the normal functions of the lung (Lungcancer.org, 2015). Lung cancers can be divided into two major types, namely non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancers (SCLC). NSCLC can be further classified into three main subtypes, namely adenocarcinoma, squamous-cell carcinoma and large-cell carcinoma (Longo & Harrison, 2012). Lung cancers can be diagnosed by chest X-ray, computerised tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography-computerised tomography (PET-CT) scan, bronchoscopy and biopsy (Nhs.uk, 2015). Unfortunately, lung cancers are often diagnosed at the later stages. This is due to the unrecognisable symptoms and warning signs at the earlier stages. NSCLC are often diagnosed at stage IV which accounts for 30-40% of cases whereas 60% of SCLC is diagnosed at stage IV. Lung cancer usually originates from the cells lining the bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli. Carcinogens especially tobacco smoke will alter the gene expression of the normal human lung cells, resulting in cell mutation. The proto-oncogenes will be converted to mutated form, oncogenes. Mutation leads to the decreased expression of the tumour suppressor genes. This results in uncontrolled cell proliferation, cell

     Lung cancer is the most common cancer-related cause of death among men and women. Lung cancer can be undetected for many years causing it to become more dangerous and possibly fatal. There is not cure for lung cancer or any cancer, but if detected in an early stage the lung cancer can be detected, treated, and hopefully terminated. There are many new and developing treatments being tested now that may save lives in the future. Through understanding what the lung cancer is, doctors can easily diagnose and assess cancer patients.

However, there are stages in the lives of all humans when the body finds itself in a position where it is no longer able to defend itself against ailments and diseases and eventually may even lose the battle. One such disease which claims many lives every year in this manner is Cancer. So far so, there has been no cure for Cancer but some medicines and treatments are now available which can slow down and in some cases can even alter the effects of Cancer, depending on the stage at which the disease is at that moment. For this paper however we would concentrate on Lung Cancer and its effects.

Cancer, it can affect anyone; it can affect any part of the body but what is it? Cancer results from the abnormality in the body's cells. This occurs when the cells divided and grow. Disruption in the system of the growth and division of a cell results in an uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells that form a mass which leads to cancer. The patient outcome for cancer is different for everyone, but it is also different with each type. In the respiratory department, a major type of cancer we will deal with is lung cancer. Lung cancer, however, has different types and stages, but for this paper, we are going to talk about Stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the article titled “Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer” it states

With more than 1.61 million cases recognized annually lung carcinoma is that the leading cause behind cancer connected loss of life among men and second main cause in the back of loss of life in women worldwide [Jemal et al., 2011]. Morphologically the lung cancer is divided into small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and adenocarcinoma (AC), with non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC) accounting for 80% of all cases. [Brambilla et al., 2001]. The medical accomplishment in two decades has provided least effect on the treatment of the most cancers, the overall five year survival rate of NSCLC is roughly 15%.

In 2015, 221,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed out of these cases. An estimated (86,380 in men and 71,660 women) will not survive this disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death out of all cancerous circumstances far exceeding that of the colon, breast, and prostate combined. As a result of the final decision made earlier this year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to cover lung cancer screening with low-dose CT More men and women are expected to be diagnosed with lung cancer.

There are two different types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. It is all depending on the size of what the cells look like under a microscope. Both of these types of lung cancer can grow differently which leads to them both being treated differently. Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common of the two and it usually grows fairly slow. There are three main types of non-small cell lung cancer and they are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Small cell cancer is the least common and it grows fairly rapid and it can easily spread to other organs in the body (Cavendish, p.946).

Lungs are located in the either side of your chest. When you breathe, air goes through your nose, down your windpipe, and into the lungs where it spreads through tubes called bronchi. Most lung cancer cells begin in the cells that line these tubes. Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs (Lungcancer.org). In biology, I learned that a cancer cell is basically a dead cell. The cancer cell is a failed cell, it doesn’t work, or it just doesn’t reproduce at all. Although researchers found that it takes series of mutation to create a lung cancer cell (Lungcancer.org).

|Specific Purpose: |To inform readers on the causes, effects and treatments of lung cancer. |

Lung cancer is the number one killer of cancers of both men and women here in the United States. It accounts for 28% of the death rates due to cancer. In 1999, it is estimated that 1,221,800 new cases of cancer are expected to occur and out of these 171,600 are to be cases of lung cancer. (Meyer 1990)

Lung cancer is a very common malignant disease around the world, which is mainly caused by long-term exposure to tobacco smoke (85% of all cases). [1] It is reported by WHO that, globally in 2012, 1.8 million people suffered from lung cancer, and 1.6 million patients died of lung cancer. [2] In cancer-related death all around the world, lung cancer ranks the top in men and second in women, only after breast cancer. [3] Statistically, 17.4% of lung cancer patients in the United States only have five-year survival after the diagnosis, and the average survival rate is even worse in the developing countries. [4]

Lung cancer is “the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs”. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. As they grow, “the abnormal cells can form tumors and interfere with the functioning of the lung, which provides oxygen to the body via the blood”. There are two major types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Staging lung cancer is based on whether the cancer is local or has spread from the lungs to the lymph nodes or other organs. Because the lungs are large, tumors can grow in them for a long

Lung cancer has been the most common cancer in the world for several decades. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimates for 2012 was 1.8 million new cases which constituted 12.9% of the total number of new cancers diagnosed worldwide. Fifty eight percent of which occurred in the less developed regions. Lung cancer remains the most common cancer in men worldwide (1.2 million, 16.7% of the total) with the highest estimated age-adjusted incidence rates in Central and Eastern Europe (53.5 per 100,000) and

Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women with an estimated 222,500 new cases expected to be diagnosed in 2017, and an estimated 155,870 deaths, more than any other cancer site (1). A minority of lung cancers (only 16%) are diagnosed at a localized stage which is the only window of disease that is potentially curable with surgery (2). Nonetheless, 5-year survival ranges between 30-50% for lung cancers diagnosed at stage I or II, thus despite early detection and curative resection, a significant proportion of patients will die from recurrent disease within 5 years (1, 2).

Lung cancer has been the most common cancer in the world for several decades. The 2012 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimate was 1.8 million new cases which constituted 12.9% of the total number of new cancers diagnosed worldwide. Fifty eight percent of which occurred in the less developed regions. Lung cancer remains the most common cancer in men worldwide (1.2 million, 16.7% of the total) with the highest estimated age-adjusted incidence rates in