Lung Cancer Info.
Sunday, October 11th, 2009Composed of many different types of cells; the lungs are one of the largest organs in a human body. Divided into two as the left and right lungs, this is the region of the body where the air we breathe is separated so that oxygen reaches our blood, our only source of making energy. So what is lung cancer? Cells throughout our body, including our lungs, go through the cyclic process of life and death. As the old cells complete their life cycles new one are formed to take their place. Lung cancer occurs when new cells keep forming while the old cells are still healthy and functioning. These cells would not have room to be present, and they also have no function as they would not be able to specialize into the different types of cells because there is no reason for them to. Hence extra cells in the lungs stay together as a growth, more commonly known as tumors. Tumors are differentiated into two, according to the degree of harm they cause in a body as benign and malignant. Benign tumors pose no harm to the person as they do not spread and do not interfere with the usual processes of the body. Malignant tumors in the lung are what we call lung cancer. These malignant tumors may pose more harm if a few cells break free from the mass and spread to other parts of the body, mostly through the lymphatic system.
It is well advertised today that tobacco usage is considered one of the biggest causes of lung cancer. Unfortunately being a smoker yourself is not the only means of being affected by tobacco smoke. Being exposed to secondhand smoking can have the same result on your body. Because of this being exposed to tobacco users in any way, whether in your office, in a favorite restaurant or at home from a parent or partner, increases your chances of getting lung cancer as much as for the smokers themselves. Tobacco smoke has carcinogens, chemicals that cause cells to start dividing irregularly and out of ‘tune’, thereby producing an excess number of cells in a particular part of the body. Lawsuits against many popular cigarette companies have become a common thing in the past few years, with many smokers saying they did not know about the ill effects of tobacco earlier and are now suffering from one kind of disease or the other, due to smoking. It is now the law that every cigarette packet should have a warning in bold letters mentioning how ‘tobacco is harmful to health’.
Treatment for lung cancer can vary according to how far the tumor has spread, or how much of an area is affected. Doctor’s would prescribe one or a combination of the following few as treatment methods, depending on each individual. Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy focus on killing the unwanted cells, while surgery removes the unwanted cells. Sometimes the healthy tissue surrounding it is removed to make sure there is no recurrence of the disease. More than any kind of therapy, being positive and having faith that you can get through this is the best and fastest way to a cure!
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