Cancer of the lung

  In 1986, cancer of the lung, or bronchial carcinoma, became the most common cancer of both men and women in the United States, and now causes more deaths in both groups than any other cancer. While a number of other types of cancer can occur in the lungs, bronchial carcinoma is the most frequent and, with rare exception, is due to inhaling tobacco smoke.
  That tobacco smoke causes lung cancer goes without question, except in the minds of the tobacco manufacturers. Many factors influence the incidence of smoking related cancer.

Cancer types: The majority of lung cancers are either of the squamous cell (flat, scaly) variety or adenocarcinomas (gland cell). Squamous cell cancers go through a precancerous phase, and their cells may be detected in the sputum. They do not spread to distant parts of the body as readily as do the adenocarcinomas.

Symptoms: The most common symptoms of the lung cancer is cough, but since most smokers have a so-called "smoker's cough" and a chronic bronchitis with sputum, the problem often goes unnoticed until the cough has become quite severe, or the sputum is tinged with blood. Frequently there is shortness of breath, and pain in the chest that increases when inhaling deeply.
  Often the first recognition of a lung cancer is the discovery of a cancer at some distant site where it has spread. Common sites to which lung cancer may travel (metastasize) are to the other lung, the brain, bones, and liver. A cancer in the brain may cause headache, mental confusion, convulsions, or a stroke. If the cancer lodges in a bone there is often deep pain, swelling, and often a fracture, or compression of the bone if it is in the vertebral column. Liver involvement is associated with indigestion and jaundice.
 General symptoms often include loss of appetite, loss of weight, excessive tiredness, a low grade continual fever, and progressive weakness.
  The prognosis for cancer of the lung is not encouraging since so often the growth has already spread beyond the reach of the surgeon's knife. A light smoker is ten times more likely to develop a lung cancer than one who does not smoke, while a heavy smoker is twenty five times more liable.

What you can do. You should see your physician at the earliest possible occasion if you notice any of the above sign or symptoms. If you are a smoker, you should stop immediately. If you decide to continue to smoke, and are concerned about getting lung cancer, you should periodically have a pap smear of your sputum, an X-ray of your chest, and be checked by your physician every six months.

 What your physician can do. A number of diagnostic procedures are available. Chest X-rays and the examination of sputum are usually effective. Your doctor may call for a bronchoscopic evaluation, during which washings, brushings, and a biopsy may be obtain. An ultrasonograph or CT scan may be desirable. A needle biopsy or aspiration is helpful if the lesion is located in the outer parts of lung.
  The treatment is usually surgical removal of the involved area of the lung or of the entire lung, together with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The five-year survival rate is about 10 percent.