Lung Cancer

What is lung cancer?

Lung cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that starts in the lungs. Lung cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the US and is the leading cause of cancer death.

When you breathe, the lungs bring oxygen into the body and take out carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a waste product of the body’s cells.

Lung cancer can spread to other parts of the body, most often to the liver, brain, bones, and other parts of the lungs, including the outer lining (called the pleura). Cancer from other parts of the body may also spread to the lungs, but it is different from cancer that starts in the lungs.

How does it occur?

Tobacco is linked to 85 to 90% of cases of lung cancer. In addition to smoking, factors that increase your risk for lung cancer include exposures to:

• Other people’s smoke (secondhand smoke, or passive smoking)
• Air pollution
• Radiation at your job or in your environment
• Asbestos
• Radon gas
• Industrial chemicals such as the byproducts from petroleum refining

What are the symptoms?

Lung cancer grows for a while without causing symptoms. Symptoms may include:

• Cough
• Coughing up blood
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Hoarseness
• Chest pain
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Bone pain

If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, signs and symptoms of the cancer will depend on the area it has spread to.

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will review your symptoms and examine you. A sample of sputum may show if cancer cells are present. Some of the following tests also will be done:

• Chest X-ray
• CT scan
• PET scan

If X-rays or scans show an area in the lung that does not look normal, a sample of cells can be taken for testing (a biopsy). Biopsies can be done by:

• Numbing the area and putting a thin needle through the chest wall
• Passing a slim, flexible, lighted tube called a bronchoscope through your mouth and down into the lung to see and sample abnormal areas (a procedure called a bronchoscopy)
• Doing surgery to remove some or all of the abnormal tissue

How is it treated?

Treatment depends on the type, size, and stage of the cancer and your own general health.

• If you have a single tumor and the type of cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (most cases of lung cancer), with little or no spread into nearby tissues, surgery is the usual treatment. Surgery is the single best way to cure lung cancer. A part of one lung or a whole lung may need to be removed.
• If you have small cell lung cancer, you may have chemotherapy with or without radiation, depending on the extent of the cancer. Chemotherapy is treatment with anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells.

Chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy may be recommended before surgery. Unless the cancer is very small, chemotherapy for about 2 months may be recommended after surgery. In some cases, if surgery is felt to be out of the question, and the tumor is limited to the chest, chemotherapy and radiation to the chest may be recommended. If the cancer has spread outside the lung to the bones or brain, radiation therapy may be needed for those areas. If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy alone or biologic (“targeted”) therapy is used.

When lung cancer spreads to the outer lining of a lung, fluid may build up in the chest outside the lung and make it hard for the lung to take in air. The fluid can be removed with a needle so you can breathe more easily (a procedure called thoracentesis).

What are the chances of a cure?

Almost 1 of every 6 cases of lung cancer is cured with treatment, usually with surgery.

How can I take care of myself?

Follow your healthcare provider’s recommended treatment and keep all your follow-up appointments. To help take care of yourself during your treatment and recovery, follow these guidelines:

• Do not smoke and stay away from others who are smoking
• Exercise according to your healthcare provider’s recommendations
• Eat regular, healthy meals, as recommended by your provider or dietitian
• Get plenty of rest
• Drink lots of liquids to keep the mucus in your lung secretions from getting thick
• Spend time with people you can talk to comfortably. Ask for help at home or work when the load is too great to handle
• Lower your stress in ways that work for you, such as taking part in hobbies and fun activities, listening to music, or doing relaxation and deep breathing exercises
• Talk with your healthcare provider or a mental health professional about the things that make you anxious. Ask for help in finding ways to cope with these things

Call your healthcare provider if any symptoms recur. Your provider will tell you what new signs and symptoms to watch for and when to call or make an appointment.

What can be done to help prevent lung cancer?

Not all of the causes of lung cancer are known, but following these guidelines can help reduce the risk of some of the more common kinds of lung cancer:

• Do not smoke, and stay away from other people’s smoke. If you are a smoker, stop smoking. You will start lowering your risk of lung cancer right away
• Stay away from environmental hazards, such as radon and asbestos, and, when possible, severe air pollution. Use protective equipment at work when it is recommended

For more information on cancer, contact national and local organizations such as:

American Cancer Society, Inc.
Phone: 800-ACS-2345 (800-227-2345)
Web site: http://www.cancer.org

Cancer Information Service
Phone: 800-4-CANCER (800-422-6237)
Web site: http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/cis

Developed by RelayHealth.
Published by RelayHealth.
Last modified: 2009-10-29
Last reviewed: 2009-06-13

This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

© 2009 RelayHealth and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.