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Lung cancer is a malignant tumor which begins in the lungs. This disease can affect both men and women alike and is one of the leading causes of death in the US. More people lose their lives to lung cancer, compared to colon, ovarian, breast and prostate cancers combined.

There are several different factors that increase your risks of developing lung cancer and some of them can be easily controlled. Some of the common lung cancer risks include -

• Smoking: The most common cause of lung cancer is smoking cigarettes. Your risks of developing this disease increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. Constant or prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke is equally harmful.
• Alcohol abuse: Consuming a high amount of alcohol on a regular basis could increase your risks of lung cancer by a great extent. To avoid this problem, it is best to drink in moderation, which is 1 glass of alcohol per day for women and 2 for men.
• Exposure to chemicals: Exposing your body to certain harmful chemicals, such as arsenic, asbestos, nickel and chromium increase risks of lung cancer considerably. People living in areas with high levels of air pollution are also more likely to develop lung cancer.
• Family history: Several people develop cancer only because it runs in their family. You are at a higher risk of this condition in case a parent or sibling suffers from lung cancer.

It is absolutely essential to get lung cancer treated, regardless of which stage you detect the condition in. Some of the complications that could arise because of this condition include -

• Shortness of breath: Some of the major airways in the lungs may get blocked by the malignant growth which causes breathing problems. The accumulation of fluid in the lungs also affects the way they expand when you inhale.
• Hemoptysis: Several individuals suffering from this disease cough up blood regularly because of bleeding in the airways. In some instances, the bleeding may be severe, for which you need to seek emergency medical attention.
• Pain: In the advanced stages of lung cancer, patients tend to experience pain. In the beginning, the pain is mild and intermittent, but over a period of time, it becomes constant. In case the pain becomes unbearable, you need to speak to your doctor about medication to control it.
• Pleural effusion: Cancer causes fluid to accumulate in the pleural cavity, which is the space that surrounds the lung. This is quite a serious problem and should be treated as soon as possible. Your doctor will need to drain the fluid from the lung, which reduces the risks of pleural effusion recurring.
• Metastasis: Very often lung cancer spreads to other organs, especially the brain, adrenal glands, liver and bones. Some of the neurological complications of lung cancer include brain metastases, epidural spinal cord compression and leptomeningeal metastases.

Unfortunately, the survival rate of lung cancer is quite low. This condition is usually detected in the advanced stages, by when it is difficult to treat.

Diagnosing and treating lung cancer in the early stages improves the prognosis to a great extent. The treatment for lung cancer generally includes -

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Targeted drug therapy

In case you cannot go through with the surgery for any reason, your doctor may ask you to undergo radiation and chemotherapy at the same time. While these treatment options destroy the cancer cells in your body, they also get rid of the healthy cells. Therefore, you may experience certain short-term side effects, such as -

• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of taste and appetite
• Hair loss
• Reduced immunity
• Anemia
• Fatigue & weakness
• Easy bruising and bleeding
• Weight loss

However, the benefits of chemotherapy and radiation therapy outweigh the side effects. Therefore, doctors advise patients to undergo treatment for lung cancer as early as possible.

References

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lung-cancer/DS00038/DSECTION=complications