Lung Cancer
Cancer, including lung cancer, can strike at any moment, no matter your lifestyle choices. Because of this, lung cancer is considered to be the second most common type of cancer among men and women worldwide. It is also most often present as an aggressive cancer which causes it to have a mortality rate of 86 percent (“Lung cancer, small cell.”). This is why men and women alike should be extremely cautious about what they surround themselves with. Even if you have never picked up a cigarette in your life, you can still develop lung cancer because of the environment and the choices of the people in which you surround yourself with.
There are many commonly known causes of lung cancer. Among these are the more common, smoking, …show more content…
Most of the time, their genetics paired with their bad life choices, causes the cancer to form. Only around 5% to 10% of all cancers result directly from genetic mutations received from a parent (“Family Cancer Syndromes.”). There are two types of mutations that are present with the occurrence of lung cancer; inherited and acquired. The inherited gene mutation is present in the egg or sperm that has developed into the child. Because all of the cells of the child resulted from the one cell, the egg or sperm, the mutation is in every cell of the child 's body and can then be passed on to his or her children and so on. An acquired mutation, is not present in the egg or sperm, rather it is obtained later in life. This acquired mutation occurs in one cell of its victim and as the cell divides, the mutation goes with it. The majority of cancers are caused by acquired mutations (“Family Cancer Syndromes.”). About half of the younger cancer patients have a mutation in which they use a series of drugs to attempt to stop the mutations actions (Swartz, Aimee.). With each cause of lung cancer, comes a different process in which it forms, which makes the treatment method custom for each individual.
The way lung cancer occurs is quite simple. During the most common cause of lung cancer, smoking, when you breathe in the smoke from the cigarettes, the carcinogens from the tobacco …show more content…
Small cell lung cancer is a two stage cancer; limited and extensive. Limited is when the tumor is found in one place or in only a single lung. Extensive small cell lung cancer is when the tumor has started to spread to other parts of the body and or different organs (Wexler, Barbara.). On the other hand, non-small lung cancer comes in four different stages. To begin with, the first stage is when the cancer is only found in a single lung. Next, the second stage would be that the cancer has spread to the surrounding lymph nodes. The third stage would consist of the patient having cells that have spread to the chest. And lastly, the fourth stage is when the cancer has spread onto other organs of the body. (Wexler, Barbara.). Small lung cancer is said to be the more aggressive type of lung cancer. Because of the fact that it spreads so fast and aggressively, more than 80% of patients with small cell lung cancer have symptoms for only three months or less. This causes a few number of these cases of cancer to be detected early enough for optimal, and recoverable treatment (“Lung Cancer, Small Cell.”). The most commonly known and the more accurate way for an oncologist, a doctor that specializes in cancer, to detect what type of lung cancer you have is by performing a biopsy. During this procedure, they remove all or part of the tumor and run test on it to look for the
Cancer, including lung cancer, can strike at any moment, no matter your lifestyle choices. Because of this, lung cancer is considered to be the second most common type of cancer among men and women worldwide. It is also most often present as an aggressive cancer which causes it to have a mortality rate of 86 percent (“Lung cancer, small cell.”). This is why men and women alike should be extremely cautious about what they surround themselves with. Even if you have never picked up a cigarette in your life, you can still develop lung cancer because of the environment and the choices of the people in which you surround yourself with.
There are many commonly known causes of lung cancer. Among these are the more common, smoking, …show more content…
Most of the time, their genetics paired with their bad life choices, causes the cancer to form. Only around 5% to 10% of all cancers result directly from genetic mutations received from a parent (“Family Cancer Syndromes.”). There are two types of mutations that are present with the occurrence of lung cancer; inherited and acquired. The inherited gene mutation is present in the egg or sperm that has developed into the child. Because all of the cells of the child resulted from the one cell, the egg or sperm, the mutation is in every cell of the child 's body and can then be passed on to his or her children and so on. An acquired mutation, is not present in the egg or sperm, rather it is obtained later in life. This acquired mutation occurs in one cell of its victim and as the cell divides, the mutation goes with it. The majority of cancers are caused by acquired mutations (“Family Cancer Syndromes.”). About half of the younger cancer patients have a mutation in which they use a series of drugs to attempt to stop the mutations actions (Swartz, Aimee.). With each cause of lung cancer, comes a different process in which it forms, which makes the treatment method custom for each individual.
The way lung cancer occurs is quite simple. During the most common cause of lung cancer, smoking, when you breathe in the smoke from the cigarettes, the carcinogens from the tobacco …show more content…
Small cell lung cancer is a two stage cancer; limited and extensive. Limited is when the tumor is found in one place or in only a single lung. Extensive small cell lung cancer is when the tumor has started to spread to other parts of the body and or different organs (Wexler, Barbara.). On the other hand, non-small lung cancer comes in four different stages. To begin with, the first stage is when the cancer is only found in a single lung. Next, the second stage would be that the cancer has spread to the surrounding lymph nodes. The third stage would consist of the patient having cells that have spread to the chest. And lastly, the fourth stage is when the cancer has spread onto other organs of the body. (Wexler, Barbara.). Small lung cancer is said to be the more aggressive type of lung cancer. Because of the fact that it spreads so fast and aggressively, more than 80% of patients with small cell lung cancer have symptoms for only three months or less. This causes a few number of these cases of cancer to be detected early enough for optimal, and recoverable treatment (“Lung Cancer, Small Cell.”). The most commonly known and the more accurate way for an oncologist, a doctor that specializes in cancer, to detect what type of lung cancer you have is by performing a biopsy. During this procedure, they remove all or part of the tumor and run test on it to look for the