Lung cancer - the basics
"You have cancer." That's one of the most terrifying things anyone can hear from a doctor. It makes no difference whether it is lung cancer or any other kind of cancer. It is almost like being handed a death sentence, although many cancers can be treated successfully and need not affect life expectancy.
Just what is lung cancer?
To understand that, recall that the cell is the basic building block of all life. The software inside the cell that controls every aspect of it is the DNA - the blueprint that determines everything including the type of cell, its life cycle, reproductive pattern and all else.
Normally, the cells grow and divide in an orderly manner producing new cells to replace the older ones that are at the end of their life cycle. Sometimes, however, this orderly progression is disturbed.
This happens because the DNA in the cells gets damaged. In most cases, this damage is because of problems while dividing into new cells. But DNA can also get damaged by other factors like carcinogenic substances, radiation, smoking and other causes.
In all the above cases, the DNA is said to mutate.
Cells with mutant DNA may (though not always) have their life cycle and reproductive pattern thrown out of gear. Instead of going through its normal life stages, maturing and dying, the cells may reproduce in an unchecked fashion.
This condition, where abnormal cells reproduce in an uncontrolled manner is the essence of lung cancer and every other type of cancer. It can adversely affect the organ / body part where the malignant reproduction is taking place and spread to other parts of the body as well. The latter process is called metastasizing.
Lung cancer is generally more dangerous than other cancers for a couple of reasons. The first is that lung cancer tends to metastasize at early stages. That means, even before the cancer has been detected, it may have spread its malignant tentacles to other parts of the body. So that leaves little time to fight it effectively.
The second problem is that although it can spread to practically any body part, lung cancer often metastasizes to highly critical body organs including the brain, liver, bones and adrenal glands.
This increases the potential danger manifold.
Where does lung cancer originate? In approximately 90% of patients, it starts in the epithelial lining within the lungs. Epithelial lining is the name given to linings of the airways that are responsible for extracting oxygen from the air drawn into the lungs.
Another kind of lung cancer called mesothelioma originates in the tissue surrounding the lungs (called the pleura.) Exposure to asbestos is the leading cause of mesothelioma.
Cancer can also originate in the supportive tissues around the lungs or in the blood vessels in the lungs. These cancers form only a small percentage of the total.
It is often possible to treat lung cancer with a high degree of success provided it is diagnosed early. Because of this fact, methods for early detection get a lot of emphasis in dealing this killer disease.
