It is a disease caused by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells in the lung tissues. This uncontrolled proliferation can lead to metastasis by surrounding tissues or spreading to organs outside the lung. According to the WHO ( World Health Organization ) report, lung cancer is the most common type of cancer and the leading cause of death among cancer risks worldwide. It causes about 1.6 million deaths worldwide every year.
This type of cancer, which has a very high mortality rate, varies worldwide depending on smoking habits. In the world, lung cancer is now recognized as an epidemic. This disease, which is an epidemic today, is more common in men. In the US, lung cancer has been the number one killer of women since 1987. In 1996, approximately 64,000 women in the US died from lung cancer and approximately 44,000 from breast cancer. The 1990s increase in lung cancer cases in the US is thought to be due to the rapid increase in smoking habits in women, which emerged and became widespread after the 1960s.
In highly developed countries other than the US, lung cancer is the leading cause of lung cancer. In general, when we consider the world average, it is known that lung cancer ranks first in men and second in women, right after breast cancer. The World Health Organization reported that in 1985, 300,000 women died from smoking-related diseases in all developing countries, 21.1% of which were deaths due to lung cancer.
At the beginning of the 20th century, lung cancer was considered an extremely rare disease. It is known that an epidemic of lung cancer emerged in the 1940s as a result of the transformation of tobacco into cigarettes and the rapid spread of its consumption by everyone. The impact of this lung disease epidemic continues to grow rapidly all over the world.
Causes of Lung Cancer
The main cause of lung cancer, which is quite common today, is smoking. This is because approximately 80-90% of all lung cancers are caused solely by smoking-related functions. Lung risk varies from person to person. This is because it is observed that the duration of smoking varies according to the total number of cigarettes smoked, the age of first starting and the type of cigarettes consumed. Studies have shown that a woman who smokes is 1.5-153 times more likely to develop lung cancer than a woman who does not smoke. In addition, it has been observed that women exposed to the same amount of cigarettes are 1.5-3 times more likely to develop lung cancer than men. The second most important risk factor for lung cancer after active smoking in daily life is passive cigarette exposure, also known as environmental cigarette exposure or being under smoke. It has also been observed that passive smoking exposure alone increases the risk by an average of 1.2-1.3 times.
Genetic risk carriage in lung cancer should also be considered. Because it is observed that having lung cancer in the family increases the risk of developing lung cancer. A woman with a family history of lung cancer who had never smoked in her life had a 2.8-fold increased risk of lung cancer, while a woman with no family history of lung cancer who had always smoked had an 11.3-fold increased risk.
Most Obvious Causes
- Tobacco products used
- Asbestos
- Radon
- Scarring in the lung
- Inorganic arsenic
- Chronic Interstitial
- Halogen ethers
- Air pollution
- Radioisotopes
- Heavy metals
- Nickel
- Chromium
- Vitamin A and B deficiency
- Mustard Gas
How Often Does Lung Cancer Occur?
Small cell lung cancer is known to be the fastest increasing type of lung cancer. The most important factor triggering the development of this type of lung cancer is smoking. Adenocarcinoma is the most common lung cancer in humans today.
Lung Cancer Symptoms
- Persistent cough
- Chest pain
- Wheezing during breathing
- Shortness of breath
- Hearing wheezing sounds
- Coughing up blood or bloody sputum
- Swelling in the neck and face
- Hoarseness
- Loss of appetite, fatigue and sudden weight loss
- Arm and shoulder pain
- Difficulty exercising
- Bone pain
- Difficulty swallowing and feeling of obsession
- Irregular heartbeats
- Anemia (anemia)
- Lymphadenopathy
- Fire
- Eyelid drooping, collapse inside the eye
- Fullness and flushing of the face
- Skin and subcutaneous nodules
- Jaundice
If any of the above symptoms are observed, they should consult a surgeon immediately.
Lung Cancer Treatment Methods
Today, various treatment options are taking their place in patients with lung cancer, which is quite common. In terms of clinical treatment, the primary lung cancers are known as small cell cancers (SCLC). Another type of cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is divided into two types. Determination of cell type in lung cancer is of great importance in terms of treatment planning and prognosis.
After determining the stage and histological type of the disease, treatment is planned taking into account the age and condition of the patient.
Treatment of non-small cell lung cancer
In the vast majority of cases of diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer with no metastatic disease, surgical cure is attempted.
Small cell lung cancer treatment
It is one of the most common and most dangerous types of biliary cancer. If the disease is at a very limited stage, surgical treatment is applied, while chemotherapy should be applied if the cases reach a very large stage.
