LUNG CANCER
It is the most common and deadliest cancer in the world. Since approximately 90% of these cancers are caused by smoking, they are essentially considered a preventable disease. Apart from smoking, there are also causes such as asbestos exposure, air pollution and genetic predisposition. The age at which you start smoking, the amount smoked per day and the duration increase the risk. Lung cancer can also occur in non-smokers due to passive smoke exposure.
Lung cancer generally occurs due to abnormal and uncontrolled proliferation of airway epithelial cells in a single area. It takes years for it to reach a size that can be seen in examinations or cause complaints. But after it reaches a size that can be diagnosed, it may have spread to the surrounding area and distant organs. Thereforetaking respiratory system complaints seriously and early diagnosis is vital.
Diagnosis
Some patients may have no symptoms, others Suspicious structures may be seen in chest radiographs taken for other purposes. But the most obvious complaints are; Persistent cough, chest pain, coughing up blood, respiratory distress, hoarseness, neck swelling and weight loss. Apart from these, depending on the organ to which the disease spreads, there may be additional findings such as headache, bone pain, and abdominal pain.
Lung radiography, tomography and some nuclear medicine techniques (such as PET and CT) help in the diagnosis, but a definitive diagnosis of the disease cannot be made. is to take a tissue sample (biopsy) from the diseased area. This can be done by bronchoscopy, needle aspiration or surgical methods. Sometimes, diagnosis can be made by biopsy from areas where metastases occur, such as lymph node, skin lesion, liver.
During the diagnosis process, a biopsy can be taken with a bronchoscope, cancer cells can be searched by washing, an endobronchial ultrasound-guided biopsy can be performed, or the patient's lesion can be placed on the chest wall. If it is close, a biopsy can be performed externally with special cutting needles. The disease is staged according to its extent, lymph node involvement and the presence of distant metastases. It is divided into two large subgroups: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Small cell and non-small cell white Staging of lung cancers is different from each other.
Treatment
The type of treatment to be applied to the patient is determined according to the stage of the disease, the general condition of the patient and the histological type in the tissue sample /strong>. In the early stages, if the patient is in good condition and has non-small cell lung cancer, surgery or radiation therapy is a good option. However, spread to vital organs, the presence of distant metastases and the poor state of the patient greatly hinder surgery. In this case, chemotherapy or, in limited cases, radiation therapy may be beneficial. But since small cell lung cancer responds better to chemotherapy, it can be chosen as priority treatment.
Chemotherapy is a treatment method used to destroy cancer cells in the body with some specially produced drugs. But not only does it kill cancer cells, it can also cause damage to the body's own cells. It has many side effects such as anemia, nausea, vomiting, hair loss and weakening of body defenses. It is usually given intravenously in 3-4 week courses for 4-6 months.
Radiotherapy is a high-energy x-ray treatment used to destroy cancer cells. It can cause inflammation and damage to surrounding tissues as well as cancer cells. There is no harm in giving radioactive radiation to the patient's relatives.
Apart from these treatments, in some special cases, endobronchial treatments, immunotherapy or some additional symptomatic, patient-relieving treatments can also be applied.
Read: 0
