Lung Cancer and Treatments For Lung Cancer
March 8th, 2009 | by Clare |
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Composed of many different types of cells; the lungs are one of the largest organs in a human body. Separated into two sections, the left and right lungs, they perform the most important task for life – breaking down the air we breathe to give every human the needed oxygen for survival.
So what is lung cancer? And what are the common treatments for 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. The new cells are there as an excess, as they have no function in the lungs till the old ones die.
Because of this there is an influx of cells in the lung, which cause a mass of cells, better known as a tumor, to be formed. Tumors can be of two kinds – benign or 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 can cause harm to the person, and could cause more harm by spreading throughout the body through the lymph system to other parts of the body.
Tobacco use is said to be one of the biggest reasons for lung cancer. Unfortunately being a smoker yourself is not the only means of being affected by tobacco smoke. Second hand smoking can have the same effect.
So if you live with someone who smokes a lot, work in an area where there are lots of smokers around, or are in any way in the presence of smoke from a cigarette, you are at the same risk that the person who is smoking is in. 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.
Depending on the severity of cancer, therapy varies for each individual. Doctor’s would prescribe one or a combination of the following few as treatment methods, depending on each individual.
Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are some of the most common treatments for lung cancer. But always remember, the fastest cure to lung cancer, or any other disease, is a positive frame of mind!