| Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and | | | | lung. Less common lung tumors are bronchial carcinoid |
| expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all | | | | (which may be cancerous or noncancerous), |
| cancers worldwide, responsible for 1.2 million deaths | | | | chondromatous hamartoma and sarcoma. Lymphoma |
| annually. It is a leading cause of cancer death in men | | | | is a cancer of the lymphatic system; it may start in |
| and women in the United States. | | | | the lungs or spread to them. |
| Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. The | | | | Lung cancer is the rapid growth of abnormal cells in |
| more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier | | | | the lung. It can start anywhere in the lungs and |
| you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung | | | | affect any part of the respiratory system . When |
| cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos | | | | we breathe in, the lungs take in oxygen, which our |
| exposure may also increase risk. There are many | | | | cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. |
| types of lung cancer. Each type of lung cancer grows | | | | When we breathe out, the lungs get rid of carbon |
| and spreads in different ways and is treated | | | | dioxide, which is a waste product of the body's cells. |
| differently. Treatment also depends on the stage, or | | | | Cancers that begin in the lungs are divided into two |
| how advanced it is. | | | | major types, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell |
| Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation and | | | | lung cancer, depending on how the cells look under a |
| surgery. Lung cancer that originates in the cells of the | | | | microscope. |
| lungs is called primary lung cancer; however, cancer | | | | Causes of Lung Cancer |
| may also spread to the lung from other parts of the | | | | 1. Breast cancer |
| body. Metastatic cancers spread to the lungs most | | | | 2. Colon cancer |
| commonly from the breast, colon, prostate, kidney, | | | | 3. Rectal cancer |
| thyroid gland, stomach, cervix, rectum, testis, bone, | | | | 4. Stomach cancer |
| and skin (melanoma). More than 90% of primary lung | | | | Symptoms of Lung Cancer |
| cancers start in the bronchi such lung cancer is called | | | | 1. Shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness. |
| bronchogenic carcinoma. | | | | 2. Difficulty swallowing. |
| The specific types of lung cancer are small cell | | | | 3. Fatigue. |
| carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, large cell | | | | 4. Loss of appetite or weight loss. |
| carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. The last three types | | | | 5. Constant chest pain. |
| of lung cancer are often referred to as nonsmall cell | | | | 6. Breathlessness. |
| lung cancers. Alveolar cell carcinoma originates in the | | | | Treatment of Lung Cancer |
| small air sacs of the lung (alveoli). Although alveolar | | | | 1. Chemotherapy |
| cell carcinoma can occur at a single site, it often | | | | 2. Radiation therapy |
| develops simultaneously in more than one area of the | | | | 3. |