lung cancer, what is it and how to avoid it?
1, What is lung cancer?
Lung cancer is a kind of disease that develops in or around the tissues of the lung. This disease may result in metastasis, invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. Most of the lung cancers are disease of the lung that comes from epithelial cells. Lung cancer causes the most death to men of all cancer cases and the second to women, taking away 1.3 million lives around the world every year. The most common symptoms for lung cancer are weight loss, coughing (coughing up blood included), and shortness of breath.
It is defined that lung cancer is unusual growth of morbid cell that begins in or near the lung. We can divide most of the lung cancers into two different categories as small cell and non-small cell lung cancers. These two categories of cancers differ much from each other, and the treatments should be different too.
Except the two main catagories Small Cell and Non Small Cell, although rare, it is possible to appear another type of lung cancer that mix the characteristics of both types and it is called a mixed small cell-large cell carcinoma. That is, besides the two main types, other lung cancer like lymphomas, and sarcomas may also occur.
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is named for the small round cells that cause the cancer. It accounts for a much smaller percentage of lung cancer cases than non-small cell lung cancer. SCLC can be classified into three types, that is Small cell carcinoma, mixed small call/large cell carcinoma and combined small cell carcinoma. There are some factors that can cause SCLC, including smoking (main cause), exposure to second hand smoke, asbestos and radon.
Non-small cell lung cancer or (NSCLC) accounts for a large proportion of all lung cancer. It can be divided into three different types according to the shape, size and chemical composition of the cancer, that is, squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma ia usually caused by smoking and often grows near a bronchus. Differently, adenocarcinoma which is the most common form of NSCLC, generally grows in the outer areas of the lung, while large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma may develops and expands rapidly in any part of the lung.
2, How to avoid lung cancer?
Lung cancer is the most common cause of death in the U.S., killing one out of seven lives each year. Lung cancer not only has bad impact on the adults, but also threats the young. Actually, lung disease and infections are the most common cause of death among infants. Investigations show that more than 35 millian Americans are now carrying lung disease. So how to avoid the risk of lung cancer?
Radon is the second common cause of all lung cancer cases, and the leading cause of lung cancer of non-smokers. Every year, radon causes 15% cases of lung cancers all around the world, killing thousands of Americans. We suggest that you have your home tested for radon as soon as possible, no matter you make the test yourself or have someone test the house, for the sake of your health.
Radon gets into the lungs through the respiratory tract by riding on smoke and dust particles in the air. They lodge themselves in crevices deep within the lungs, where they penetrate the epithelial cells that line the airways. In some cases, the radon becomes concentrated in areas of the lungs, causing irreversible damage. The radon can alter the genetic makeup of cells, causing cancerous tumors to form.
Avoid Exposure To Asbestos
Exposure to asbestos is another factor that causes lung cancer. Asbestos is a kind of natural mineral with strong, flexible fibers that are 1,200 times smaller than a strand of human hair. People of the following are mostly exposed to asbestos: workers in asbestos mining and milling, brake repair, manufacturing of asbestos textiles and other asbestos products, insulation work in the construction and building trades, shipbuilding trades, and a variety of other trades. However, besides the workers mentioned above, there are still some other people at risk. People can probably expose to asbestos if their old houses are constructed with asbestos, being at risk of getting lung cancer.
Asbestos particles are so tiny that they can get deep into the lung easily through the airways before being stuck. Asbestos particles in lung can prevent the normal cell division and arise respiratory infections or lung disease, e.g. asbestosis and mesothelioma.
Avoid Smoking and Being Around Smokers, or Quit Smoking
It is known that smoking would have great influence on our health, posing a potential threat to our lives. It not only leads to lung diseases, like COPD, emphysema and lung cancer, but it also cast unexpected impacts on other parts of the body.
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