This website was developed to help you in your search for answers about lung cancer and lung cancer treatment. Although we are not doctors or researchers we have compiled information on what lung cancer is, how to prevent and detect lung cancer and available treatments. Most lung cancers start in the lining of the bronchi and can take years to develop. Pre-cancerous changes in the lung don't take the form of tumor or masses and they can't be seen on an x-ray and no symptoms are evident. However, they can be found with special tests of cells in the lining of the airways of lungs, most commonly damaged by smoke. As with all cancers, cells can break away from the original tumor and spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis. Lung cancer is a life-threatening disease because of its ability to spread in this way even before it can be detected on any chest x-ray.
Treatments for lung cancer can be listed in three different categories: surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, either alone or in combinations. This will depend greatly on your stage of cancer and location. Alternative lung cancer treatment options are available through different organizations. The A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research is one worth looking into.
Below we will discuss each treatment but first we will address how to prevent and detect lung cancer. There are several factors contributing to the development of lung cancer. Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. With this said there are many people who develop lung cancer that have never smoked. Here are some other factors that can contribute to the development of lung cancer:
- Exposure to chemicals in the air such as asbestos and radon
- Cigarette smoke (which contains 43 different carcinogens-cancer causing chemicals)
- Cigar and pipe tobacco also increase the risk but the risk is not as high as cigarettes
- Secondhand smoke (5,000 to 10,000 people are diagnosed resulting from breathing secondhand smoke)
- Lung diseases such as tuberculosis
- Genetics
- Age (lung cancer is most common in people over 65 years of age)
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