What Are Some Facts About Lung Cancer?

Here are some facts about the different types of lung cancer.

The two types are small cell lung cancer and non-small lung cancer. Sometimes it consists of both kinds.
Twenty percent of all the lung cancers are small cell, with the majority being non-small cell.
If cancer started somewhere else and made its way to the lungs, it is called “metastatic cancer to the lung.”
Carcinomas of the lung account for most lung cancers.
Small cell lung carcinomas are usually treated with radiation and chemotherapy while non-small cell carcinomas are treated with surgery.

Stages of Lung Cancer

Here are the stages of lung cancer. Listed are the areas where the cancer has spread.

Non-small cell lung cancer:

Stage 1 - cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes

Small cell lung cancer:

Limited - cancer is in one lung and the lymph nodes nearby

Symptoms of Lung Cancer

One of the facts that pertain to lung cancer symptoms is that many times, symptoms do not manifest themselves in the early stages of the disease.

Symptoms related to the chest area include:

Coughing
Coughing up mucus speckled with blood
Coughing up blood
Shoulder, back or chest pain
Shortness of breath
Hoarseness or changes in the voice
Wheezing

Frequent bouts of lung diseases, like pneumonia or bronchitis.

Symptoms from other parts of the body or overall symptoms include:

Headaches
Bone or joint pain
Feeling tired
Losing weight and/or loss of appetite
Weakness
Blood clots
Bleeding
Swelling of the face or neck

Causes and Risk Factors

By far, the most common cause of lung cancer is tobacco smoke. This smoke contains carcinogens that cause cancer and they immediately change the tissue in the lungs. After repeated exposure, the cells become badly damaged and cancer may occur.

Causes for people who do not smoke include: hereditary factors, secondhand smoke, radon, asbestos, and air pollution. The risk factors for getting lung cancer include:

Smoking
Secondhand smoke
Exposure to radon gas
Asbestos, or pollution
Family history
Drinking alcohol excessively
Certain lung diseases

Tests and Treatments

Lung cancer facts need to include the tests a doctor may order and some of the treatments you may receive.

Tests include:

X-rays
CT scans
Sputum cytology (examining your sputum)
Tissue biopsies of the lungs, lymph nodes, or other organs where the cancer has spread

Treatments for lung cancer are:

Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiation
Target drug therapy. The drug Bevacizumab keeps the tumor from getting a new blood supply and Erlotinib blocks the chemicals that tell it to get larger or divide.

Alternative treatments can be useful in fighting cancer and helping you deal with the side effects of other treatments. These include:

Acupuncture
Hypnosis
Meditation
Massage
Yoga

Statistics

Here are some statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Lung cancer causes more deaths than any other type of cancer.
In 2006, 90,080 women and 106,374 men were diagnosed with lung cancer.
In 2006, 69,356 women and 89,243 men died from lung cancer, making a total of 158,599.

Estimates for 2010 predicted that deaths would decrease to 157,300, according to the National Cancer Institute.