Lung cancer: What you should know

Lung cancer is a dangerous disease. This is one of the most common causes of cancer death in both men and women, because patients are often detected in the late stages, making treatment difficult.

Lung cancer is a condition in which cells in the lungs grow abnormally, multiply out of control and can spread to other organs.
Lung cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in men and 3rd in women. Lung cancer is also one of the leading causes of cancer mortality.
There are two groups of malignancies of lung cancer including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
Non-small cell lung cancer: This is the most common type accounting for about 85% of all cases. This type has a slower rate of spreading to nearby organs than small cell lung cancer. In the case of early detection, treatment methods such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy can help patients cure this disease with a high rate. In this type of lung cancer, it is also divided into 3 subgroups including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell lung cancer and large cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer: This is less common, accounting for only about 10-15% of lung cancer cases, but it is a fast-growing cancer that has a worse prognosis than non-small cell lung cancer. . Usually, by the time the disease is detected, the disease is already quite advanced. Therefore, chemotherapy is the optimal option for those who unfortunately have this type of lung cancer. But the efficiency is not really high. Most cases of lung cancer at an early stage develop silently, causing no obvious symptoms. Therefore, most cases are diagnosed late, leading to difficult treatment and high mortality.

Tobacco: Tobacco is a major cause of lung cancer, with 80% of lung cancer patients related to smoking factors. According to research, smokers are 15 to 30 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers. After smoking, the substances that can cause cancer will linger in the lungs for a long time, and over time, these toxins will change the cells inside the lungs, leading to disease. Even people who don't smoke but breathe secondhand smoke regularly have an increased risk of lung cancer. E-cigarettes: People assume that using e-cigarettes is not harmful to the body, which is incorrect. Because when you smoke an e-cigarette, you are also putting harmful substances into your body that are nicotine, formaldehyde, heavy metals... if you use flavored types, the more harmful substances will be. These substances stay inside the body and can cause lung problems, even lung cancer. Cigars and water pipes: In addition to smoking, smoking cigars or smoking also increases the risk of lung cancer. Fallout and radon: Exposure to fallout or radon also increases your risk of lung cancer and other cancers. In particular, radon can enter a building through cracks in the floor, walls or cracks in the foundation. Working environment: People who work in environments that are often exposed to asbestos (this is a material used in construction for insulation and fire retardant) or other substances such as diesel, arsenic, nickel, jelly Tin, beryllium, chromium can also cause lung cancer. Smokers who work with asbestos are 90 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers. Air pollution: According to research, it has been found that exposure to air polluted environments increases the risk of death from cancer and cancer also grows faster if regularly exposed to air pollution. gas. Related to genetic factors: If a family member has lung cancer such as parents, siblings, grandparents, siblings of parents, you have a higher risk of developing the disease than others. people with no family history. Several genetic mutations cause germ cell development that accompanies adenocarcinoma of the lung. In addition, this reason may be because living in the same house, the habits of living and eating will be the same, and if you have a relative who smokes, you are at risk of being affected as well. History of lung disease: Certain lung diseases such as tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic bronchitis can cause inflammation and scarring in the lungs, increasing the risk of lung cancer. Diet: If you eat a lot of fried, smoked, fast food, etc., use less healthy foods, especially vitamin-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables. may put you at increased risk of lung cancer.

The advanced stage of the cancer represents the extent of growth and spread to the organs of the tumor. Based on that, the doctor will give appropriate treatment methods according to each stage of the disease:
3.1 Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Non-small cell lung cancer is divided into four main stages:
Stage Stage 1: Tumor in lung is ≤ 5cm in size, no regional lymph node metastasis and no distant metastasis. Stage 2: Tumor size ≤ 7cm, metastasis to nearby lymph nodes, not distant metastasis. Stage 3: Stage 3 lung cancer has tumor size > 7cm or any size, but invades in ipsilateral lung, invades surrounding structures such as heart, large blood vessels, trachea... and has not metastasized. Stage 4: Or late stage lung cancer, this time the tumor has spread to the opposite lung, metastasized outside the chest or many other locations. 3.2 Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) In clinical practice, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is divided into 2 stages:
Localized stage: Tumor develops primarily in the lung and regional lymph nodes, in one lung and no distant metastases. Invasive stage: Lung tumor accompanied by appearance of tumor nodules in the remaining lung, tumor has metastasized far, metastasized outside the chest or in some other organs.

The symptoms of non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer are basically similar but not obvious, so it's easy to miss:
Early signs:
Chronic cough: This is the most common symptom of early lung cancer, but not everyone shows it. Cough with phlegm and sputum may be bloody. Cough for which some antibiotics are ineffective. At the late stage, secondary symptoms appear depending on the tumor location and extent of the lesion:
Chest pain, persistent pain, pain when taking a deep breath, laughing or coughing. Shortness of breath. Repeated pneumonia in the same location. Pleural effusion Horner's syndrome: Causes drooping eyelids, constricted pupils, no sweating in half of the face Symptoms due to tumor compression: difficulty swallowing, painful swallowing, hoarseness, palpitations, heart palpitations ... Signs of metastasis: Bone metastases cause pain, pathological fractures, limitation of movement. Brain metastases cause headache, nausea, vomiting, cognitive and motor disturbances. Some patients have no symptoms in the lungs but when the tumor has spread to other organs and causes symptoms due to tumor metastasis. Weakness and fatigue Weight loss: May or may not be accompanied by signs of anorexia.

In addition to locating the cause by clinical signs, it is necessary to diagnose the disease by paraclinical methods including:
Chest x-ray: Mass can be seen in the lung. Accompanied by signs such as pulmonary effusion... Computed tomography scan: In some cases when X-rays cannot clearly see the lesion, it is necessary to conduct a CT scan. When taking a scan, it is possible to detect an abnormal mass in the lung, whether the tumor has metastasized or invaded nearby areas. Lung tissue biopsy: Taking lung tissue cells and conducting a biopsy to determine whether a benign tumor or a malignant tumor is the definitive diagnosis. Helps diagnose the type of lung cancer.

For non-small cell cancer: According to statistics of the American Cancer Society from 2010 to 2016, if non-small cell lung cancer is detected when the tumor is still local, the treatment helps the patient. has a 5-year survival rate of 63%. If the cancer has metastasized (the cancer has spread to the remaining lung, brain, bone, liver...) then the 5-year survival rate is only about 7%.
For small cell cancer: Small cell lung cancer is a very dangerous cancer, characterized by rapid progression to distant metastases. According to statistics from the American Cancer Society, small cell lung cancer has a 5-year survival rate at the local stage of about 27%. If the cancer has metastasized, the 5-year survival rate is very low, only 3%.
When detected early, both these types of lung cancer have a higher survival rate, then the treatment measures also bring optimal effectiveness. Current treatment methods for lung cancer include:
Surgery to remove the tumor: This is a highly effective method when lung cancer is at an early stage. However, this method is no longer effective in later stages of the disease. Chemotherapy: Commonly used to help limit growth and possibly kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy: This method uses high-energy radiation rays to kill cancer cells, shrink tumors in the irradiated area. Symptomatic treatment: This is an additional treatment, used in combination with the above methods to reduce the symptoms of discomfort of the patient, reduce the complications caused by the above methods, increase the effectiveness of treatment.

Lung cancer is very dangerous, although not completely preventable, but based on the causes of lung cancer, we can take some preventive measures, including:
Don't smoke and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. If you can quit smoking, after 10 years you will cut your risk of lung cancer in half. Not only that, it also helps to reduce the risk of many other diseases. Don't smoke e-cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco: These also put you at risk for lung cancer. Avoid exposure to radiation. Keep the living and working environment well ventilated, limit or better avoid exposure to dust. There are measures to protect workers safely when in contact with chemicals, toxic chemical gases in the working environment, to minimize the impact of chemicals on the body. Have a balanced and healthy diet, eat plenty of foods with vitamins such as green vegetables, fresh fruits, limit processed foods, fried foods. You should regularly train your body by exercising. General health examination and periodic lung cancer screening: This is the most effective measure to detect lung cancer early. Early detection of the disease increases the effectiveness of treatments and increases survival rates. Because the clinical signs of the disease are nonspecific and often similar to those of some other lung diseases, it is easy to ignore. Screening by early paraclinical methods helps to accurately diagnose the disease and detect signs of lung cancer or not. Lung cancer is a dangerous disease, which is common among all types of cancer in our country or around the world. If you have suspected symptoms of lung cancer, immediately go to medical facilities for appropriate examination and treatment to help improve life and improve survival.
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