Lung Cancer
BY: Nicole Gagnon and Sarah Bader
Definition of Lung Cancer
Symptoms
- Chest pain
- Abnormal voice changes
- Coughing for a long period of time
- Coughing up blood
- Shortage of breath
How Common is Lung Cancer?
How is Lung Cancer Diagnosed?
Causes of Lung Cancer
The main causes of lung cancer are:
- Heavy Smoking (biggest cause of lung cancer)
- Long exposure to irritating substances(such as coal, radioactive materials, and asbestos
- Having lung conditions in the past
- Marijuana cigarettes
- Second hand smoke
What happens at the cellular and molecular level?
treatments/cures
The treatments found for lung cancer are very limited. According to the stage of the cancer that you are on tells you what kind of treatment you need. Often, cancer cannot be cured but here are some examples of some possible procedures:
~ Surgery (this treatment helps to remove pieces of the cancer that usually only helps if you are in a very early stage of lung cancer)
~ Radiation (this is another form of early stage lung cancer but it is an x-ray that helps to reduce the size of the tumor or kill it off)
- Chemotherapy (a treatment where chemicals are put into your body to help kill the cancer cells)
- A toxic plant called a mistletoe is heard to destroy cancer cells but this treatment still remains indecisive on people.
Although there are many ways to treat lung cancer, people have to understand that sometimes it can't cure the body completely. It is important to know what stage you are on in the process or it could be too late, because the cells have already divided and multiplied throughout your body.