Lung cancer is the most common of all the cancers. It occurs as a result of improper sudden and fast growth in the tissue cells of the lungs. Then it leads to metastasis, the stage in which the cancer cells starts to enter the other parts outside the lungs and try to damage them.

The common symptoms that indicate the this type of cancers are; shortness of breath, coughing, bleeding while coughing and weight loss.

The major causes are; a very long period of smoking habit, may be due to genetic factors, radon gas, and air pollution.

It can be detected by the following methods, chest radiography, computed tomography (CT). The lung cancer thus diagnosed is confirmed with a biopsy. Biopsy is nothing but a medical test based on removing cells from a living tissue and examining it.

There are two types of lung cancers in common; they are Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSLC makes the most of the lung cancer.

NSCLC is of different types; Epidermoid carcinoma, which is most common of all. This cancer develops from the bronchial tubes. Adenocarcinoma in which glands that produces mucus is the place where the cancer cells originate. This occurs to most of the people who don't smoke and especially women. Another type is Bronchioalveolar carcinoma, this is rarest of all, and the cancer cells start to develop from the air sacs near the lungs. Large cell undifferentiated carcinoma, is another type of cancer, in which the cancer cells form near the outer lung surface, they have a tendency to grow rapidly.

SCLC is often caused by the prime factor, continuous smoking for a long time.

Some alternative treatments are found to be: acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal products, Nutritional supplements, vitamins and special diet.




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Many workers in the field of construction and other industries were exposed to asbestos in their jobs. While they fear the prospect of getting Mesothelioma, the cancer caused by asbestos, the do themselves no favors by continuing to smoke.

The lungs are amazing body parts. They gases that we need to live into the body and then remove waste gases created by the process. That being said, they are fairly delicate and more than a few of us have done serious damage to them. I should qualify this by saying that I was the proverbial chain smoker for seven years. I'm not one of those righteous former smokers, but there is little doubt the practice does a number on your lungs.

No cancer is a preferable health problem, but lung cancer is really one you want to avoid. For millions of workers over the years, the possibility of their being diagnosed with lung cancer went up dramatically for no fault of their own. The problem? Exposure to asbestos. The fibrous form of various minerals was used heavily in everything from construction to the rail road industry and even on the brakes of most cars. The material was incredibly strong and very fire resistant, which made it a wonder material of sorts until it was determined to cause lung cancer among other health horrors.

The word asbestos is mostly reviled these days. People simply know to avoid it. The problem, unfortunately, is the disease can take 40 years or more to manifest as lung cancer, Mesothelioma or some other problem. That being said, simply breathing in asbestos fibers does not mean you will get lung cancer. Current studies seem to suggest there is about a 1 in 7 chance, although the figures change dramatically depending on how much exposure you had.

Smoking is bad for the lungs all by itself. Smoking combined with asbestos exposure is pretty much a double whammy on the lungs. The smoking weakens and decays the lungs. This gives the asbestos fibers more of a chance to borrow into the lung tissue and work their way into the chest cavity. The chances of being diagnosed with lung cancer is twice as great if you smoke and are exposed to lung cancer as it is if you just are exposed.

The good news is stopping smoking can make a huge difference. Those who stop put aside the coffin nails have their chance of being diagnosed with lung cancer drop a whopping 50 percent in only five years even when asbestos exposure occurs. If you have never been exposed to asbestos, the risk is reduced by 70 percent! In short, it is worth it if you want to live a long life.




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Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is closely associated with asbestos exposure. It can take up to 40 years from the time of exposure for the cancer to manifest. Given this long period, what tests are used to diagnose it?

A common test used in cancer situations is a blood test. Blood is examined for something known as biomarkers. Certain biomarkers are indicative of certain types of cancer. For instance, CA 15-3 is a biomarker that indicates breast cancer in women. Unfortunately, there is no known biomarker at this point in time for Mesothelioma. In fact, blood tests do not provide any information to a physician regarding whether a patient has this form of cancer.

A chest x-ray is really the first line of attack against Mesothelioma when it comes to diagnostic tests. These x-rays are not particularly sensitive, but they present a global look at the chest area. This means the radiologist and physician can identify tumors, scaring and areas of fluid buildup. All are potentially problematic, particularly tumors which can be benign or can metastasize and spread.

Assuming the doctor sees something of interest or concern, he or she may next order a CAT scan. CAT stands for computerized axial tomography and essentially means a three dimensional view of the area in question. A CAT scan can better define the shape, size and characteristics of a mass. That being said, such a scan cannot tell the doctor if the mass is Mesothelioma or not. They can, however, be very helpful in determining if the problem is in an early or late stage.

MRIs are used in many medical practices as diagnostic tools. The trend in Mesothelioma cases is to forgo MRIs for PET scans. A PET scan is a test that shows the usage of glucose. Cancerous tumors, particularly Mesothelioma, tend to use much more glucose than health material. A PET scan can reveal this and helps get to the heart of the problem, to wit, do you have cancer or not.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Ajava