Often, lung cancer symptoms do not appear immediately. In this case, malaise may be characteristic of other diseases. When diagnosing such an ailment, the doctor should prescribe a thorough examination. Whether therapy will be successful depends on many factors. You can avoid the development of serious complications by contacting specialists in a timely manner. So what is lung carcinoma?
Basic concept
Lung cancer is carcinoma. In other words, this is a neoplasm in the field of respiratory organs. A malignant tumor is localized in the region of the lungs or bronchi. Among oncological pathologies, lung carcinoma takes the second place. And in some countries the first thing is.
With untimely access to a doctor, such a disease can cause the development of irreversible processes. In such cases, the disease can be fatal. According to statistics, mortality due to lung carcinoma has the highest rate among oncological diseases.
Small cell lung carcinoma
This is one type of cancer of the respiratory system. According to statistics, a malignant tumor occupies only 1/5 of the total number of oncological diseases. Often such a pathology is called low-grade lung carcinoma.
This kind of cancer is often diagnosed late in the patient, since such an oncological disease has not pronounced symptoms. However, the development process of the disease is characterized by a fairly rapid course, as well as the appearance of metastases.
Second variety
The second type is called non-small cell carcinoma. In this case, the ailment has several subspecies. Their classification depends on the tissues that were affected by the disease. At the moment, the following ailments are diagnosed:
- Lung adenocarcinoma is a malignant neoplasm that affects primarily those cells that are involved in the production of mucus. This type of lung cancer, according to statistics, ranks second.
- Large cell lung carcinoma. In this case, the neoplasm is formed from cells with a rounded shape. A malignant tumor is formed in the layers of the non-keratinized epithelium. Often, the initial stage of such a pathology proceeds unnoticed by the patient.
- Glandular carcinoma - a neoplasm mainly consists of glandular tissues. The development of cancer begins in the so-called cambial cells. In this case, the tumor outwardly resembles a knot of gray or brown-yellow hue.
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung - cancer begins to develop in cells lining the respiratory tract. This is one of the common oncological pathologies. According to statistics, the disease takes first place.
- Bronchoalveolar carcinoma - in the formation of a tumor in this case, cells that form mucus are involved, as well as those that do not secrete it. The propagation process preserves the structure of the alveoli without destroying the architectonics of the lungs.
The main reason for the development of the disease
Lung cancer is a carcinoma, the main causes of the development of which are far from all identified. Studies have established that there is a definite relationship between the occurrence of the disease and the influence of certain factors. The main cause of lung cancer is called tobacco smoking. Indeed, when inhaling smoke, the patient poisons his body with 60 carcinogens, among which:
- benzapyrene;
- radon radioisotopes;
- nitrosamine.
The main component is nicotine. This substance can cause the development of a huge number of pathologies in the human body. In this case, nicotine is the initiator of the occurrence of malignant tumors. After all, a substance can inhibit the immune system. Only 10% of people suffering from cancer of the lungs, the development of pathology is not associated with smoking tobacco products.
Those who suffer from this addiction endanger the people around them. Studies have shown that smoke that comes out of the lungs during smoking is much more dangerous than being smoked by a smoker. It contains even more harmful components. Those around a smoker suffer from secondhand smoke.
The harm caused by tobacco depends on the intensity of smoking, as well as on the experience. Those who can not get rid of a bad habit and smoke for more than 2 years are at risk. In addition, a lot depends on how many people need cigarettes per day. If a person completely abandons tobacco, then the process of lung restoration starts.
Other factors
Lung carcinoma can develop not only due to smoking. There are other factors that cause the development of such a pathology. These include:
- Dust. Its particles, falling through the respiratory tract into the body, can cause the development of cancer. The size of the fractions is also important. Very small particles can penetrate deep into lung tissue.
- Viruses. Some pathogens can cause lung cancer. They activate the processes of uncontrolled cell division. These pathogens include: papillomavirus, cytomegalovirus.
- Radon. During the decay of uranium, radioactive radium is released. Both substances are very dangerous. However, with the decay of radium, radon is formed. This gas is able to stand out from the layers of the earth. It all depends on the composition of the breed. In this case, the substance is able to accumulate in certain materials, walls of buildings. Gas may very well cause lung carcinoma.
- Asbestos is a substance that provokes the development of oncological processes.
The main symptoms of the disease
How does lung carcinoma manifest? Symptoms of the disease may not appear for a long time. In general, the following conditions and pathologies should be attributed to the signs of an ailment:
- loss of consciousness;
- headache and dizziness;
- vision problems;
- susceptibility to infectious diseases of the respiratory system;
- wheezing in the area of the lungs;
- the presence of sputum, which has a brown color, as well as containing streaks of blood;
- shortness of breath, which may increase with increased stress;
- fever for no apparent reason;
- numbness of the fingers;
- shoulder pain;
- weight loss and lack of appetite;
- chronic cough;
- chest pain, worse with deep breath.
And even if there are such signs of the disease, you can skip its initial stage. Indeed, many lung diseases have similar symptoms. Completely get rid of a terrible disease is possible only at the initial stage.
Signs of other stages of cancer
If lung carcinoma has led to the development of more serious complications, then the patient may also suffer from other symptoms, including:
- pain in the bones;
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- yellowness of the sclera, as well as skin.
Stages of the disease
The danger of this pathological process is largely due to the stages of development and spread of the disease, not only in the lungs, but also in other tissues and organs. At the moment, doctors call 4 degrees of the disease:
- First stage. The neoplasm does not affect the tissues located nearby, and has a clear localization place. In this case, the tumor size does not exceed 3 cm. The carcinoma affects only one segment of the bronchus or lung.
- Second stage. The tumor gradually spreads, and its size reaches 6 cm. In the lymph nodes located nearby, single metastases occur.
- Third stage. At this stage, the pathological process affects not only the lymph nodes, but also neighboring organs and tissues: pleura, bones, blood vessels, esophagus. At the same time, the neoplasm exceeds 6 cm in size and extends beyond the boundaries of one segment.
- How does lung carcinoma manifest at this stage? Stage 4 has more serious complications. In most cases, helping the patient is no longer possible, since the tumor extends beyond the respiratory system. Not only local, but also distant metastases appear.
Basic diagnostic methods
To begin with, the patient should consult a doctor who, after a thorough examination, will prescribe an additional examination. Currently, there are many methods to diagnose lung carcinoma. These include:
- bronchoscopy;
- X-ray examination;
- biopsy
- oncological markers;
- ultrasound procedure.
Each of the methods has its own characteristics. It is they that make it possible to determine the presence of oncological pathology at the initial stage of development. The main thing is to consult a specialist on time.
Is it possible to cure
How is lung carcinoma treated? Treatment should be carried out promptly. Otherwise, the malignant neoplasm will only increase. Therefore, the most important method of therapy is surgery. If the situation allows, then not only the tumor is removed, but also the lymph node and tissues located nearby are captured.
If surgery is not possible, palliative methods are used that can significantly alleviate the patient's condition. If the moment is missed, and distant metastases appear, then they refuse such methods of therapy.
Is chemotherapy and radiation therapy used
The choice of treatment method depends on many factors, including the stage of lung carcinoma. The chemotherapy drug is selected individually for each patient. This is the only way to cope with the type of cancer that was found in the patient. Such therapy can significantly improve the patient's condition, while reducing the size of the tumor. However, this method, unfortunately, does not allow to completely rid a person of the disease.
Chemotherapy is usually performed to prepare a person for surgery. They can also resort to it after surgery to completely destroy the affected cells that can cause the re-development of carcinoma. It is worth noting that in some cases chemotherapy is prescribed to improve quality, as well as to prolong a person's life.
Radiation therapy is also carried out on the same principle.
Lung carcinoma: prognosis
If the patient does not seek qualified help within 2 years, then the chances of recovery are significantly reduced. According to statistics, in 9 0% of cases there is a fatal outcome.
If surgery was performed in a timely manner, and then the effect of radiation therapy or chemotherapy was fixed, then 70% of patients get the opportunity to live for about 5 more years.
Maintenance therapy
There are situations when the patient can not be subjected to chemotherapy and surgical intervention. Then a special treatment is prescribed that can significantly alleviate his condition, as well as prolong life. Such cases are not uncommon in the diagnosis of the last stage of lung carcinoma. In such situations, the patient can carry out, selecting individually, all procedures:
- psychological assistance;
- symptom relief;
- blood transfusion;
- anesthesia;
- detoxification.
Disease prevention
To avoid the development of lung carcinoma, it is recommended that all contacts with carcinogen substances be minimized, and the room should be ventilated as often as possible, while doing a wet cleaning. It is also worth giving up smoking tobacco products. If you work in an enterprise where the concentration of dust is increased, then such work should be abandoned or use reliable means of protection.
In order to identify the development of the oncological process at an early stage, experts recommend to undergo fluorography once a year.