BASIC FACTS ABOUT LUNG CANCER

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled development of irregular cells in one or both lungs. The irregular cells do not form into sound lung tissue, they split quickly and form tumors. As tumors become bigger and fragmented, they undermine the lung's ability to supply the circulatory system with oxygen. Human body is made up of cells that contain a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). When a mature cell is split into two or more cells, duplication of cell's DNA took place. The new cells are all copies of the older one, thus form a life cycle structure of cell's life. When the older one die, it quickly replace by the new one.

The video below explained how lung cancer formed.

A cancer occurred as a result of a mutation in a DNA of a cell. The causes of DNA mutation are aging process, smoking of cigarette, exposure to radon gas and breathing in asbestos fibers.

A substance known as carcinogen is the sole responsible for the damaging of DNA promoting cancer. Examples of carcinogen are x-rays, fumes from car exhaust, radiation, arsenic, asbestos and tobacco. Here are the symptoms of lung cancer. The symptoms varies from one form to another, is good to go medical checkup often if you notice unusual pains in the body. though the sign and symptoms of lung cancer may take years to manifest until the disease spread over the body, the common symptoms are:

* Pain in the back , chest or shoulder due to coughing.

* Coughing of blood.

* Pneumonia or bronchitis disease.

* Shortness of breath.

* Harsh sound while breathing

* Hoarseness of voice.

* A change in color of sputum.

* General weakness of the body

* Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite.

* Swelling of the face and necks.

* Fever

* Fatigue

* problem associated with loss of me

There are many ways and procedures physicians used in diagnosing lung cancer, depends on the information gotten from symptoms. They are MRI scans, chest Xray, Pet scans and CT scans. Several other test would be conducted like blood analysis in the sputum , chest examination and physical examination. But the major way of diagnosing lung cancer is by removing the cancer cells and view it with a microscope. Medically, the process is called biopsy .

Treatment of lung cancer differ from one form to another depending on the duration it stays in human body, type of cancer and the age etc. But cancer patient receives different form of treatment and therapies. The famous type of treatment are Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. There are other minor types of treatment that scientist recently discover. they are immuno therapy, gene therapy and hormone therapy.

To carry out lung cancer surgery, the doctor has to remove the tumor and the margin that surround the tissue , then the margin would be carefully studied to see if there is cancer cells in it.

Radiotherapy is the process of killing the cancer tumor by sending high x-ray to the cancer cells . The molecules that form the cancer cells will die in this process. radiation is the sure way to kill the remaining cancer cells after surgery.

Chemotherapy involve the use of powerful chemicals to subdue the cell division process, thus making the cancer cells to die.

Scientist are still researching new ways to cure lung cancer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUNNY AKPAN IS A YOUNG MEDICAL SCIENTIST WHO STUDY AND RESEARCH VARIOUS DISEASES THAT AFFLICTED HUMAN BEINGS, THEIR CAUSES AND HOW THEY CAN BE PREVENTED.YOU CAN CONNECT WITH HIM ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER.