Lung Cancer

What is it? How and why it happens?

Lung cancer is described as the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. These abnormal cells interfere with the operation of healthy lung tissue, which is why the lungs are responsible for providing oxygen to the body. This normally starts in the airway lining.

In Indian men, lung cancer is the most common cancer. Since the index of suspicion for lung cancer is low, the majority of patients present are in advanced stages. Lung cancer is graded as follows based on biological behaviour and treatment decisions:

Squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, big cell carcinoma, bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma, and other non-small-cell carcinomas are examples.

Because of the shape of the cell, small-cell carcinoma is also known as oat cell carcinoma. Unfortunately, it spreads quickly and has few symptoms at first.

Causes – 

• Tobacco use (causes up to 90 percent of lung cancers)
• Asbestos, steel, nickel, chrome, and coal gas production all come into contact with each other.
• Radiation exposure. Breathing air polluted with Radon gas will expose Uranium, Fluorspar, and Hematite miners to radiation.

Signs of symptoms –

Lung cancer signs are ambiguous and contrast with those of infectious diseases and other benign diseases. Symptoms are often diagnosed during routine health check-ups (X-ray Screening picks up a lung lesion).

The most common symptoms are :

• A cough that won’t go away or a change in a chronic cough
• Shortness of breath
• Bloodstained sputum
• Chest pain
• High fever
• Unexplained weight loss
• Wheezing (due to a blockage in the windpipe)
• Repeated bouts of pneumonia
• Bronchitis may also be signs of lung cancer
• Hoarseness
• Difficulty in swallowing

Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the most common lung cancer therapies. The type of lung cancer you have, the stage of the disease, if your lungs are functioning properly, your overall health, and what you want will all influence your medical options.

A) Surgery : If your cancer has not spread beyond the affected lung and same side of the mediastinum, your general health is fine, and your breathing capacity is adequate, surgery is the best treatment option.

• Lobectomy: The most common procedure for lung cancer is a lobectomy, which includes removing the cancerous portion of the lung.
• Pneumonectomy: An operation that removes the whole lung on the affected side.
• Sleeve resection is a difficult operation that aims to keep as much of the usual intact lung as possible. Just a portion of the cancer-affected airway, as well as lung tissue, is removed. The remaining lung is then reattached to the airway’s remaining portion.
• Non-anatomical/Wedge Resection: Depending on the extent of the cancer, the surgeon can decide to remove only a portion of the lung lobe. It’s normally used to collect tissue for diagnosis or to remove cancerous tissues in elderly patients who wouldn’t be able to handle a lobectomy otherwise.
• Chest wall resection: If the lung cancer affects the ribs or muscles of the chest in the same area as the main tumour, it might be necessary to remove it. The chest defect is then packed with flesh and muscles, as well as prosthetic materials such as mesh and bone cement.
• Diagnostic thoracoscopy: This procedure helps the doctor to look into the chest and, if possible, take tissue samples for biopsy.
• Mediastinoscopy: When nodes in the mediastinum appear suspicious but are not correctly classified as harboring disease by EBUS, surgical excision of these nodes may be needed to better characterize the essence of the abnormality affecting them.

B) Chemotherapy : Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer medications to cure cancer. The goal is to kill cancer cells while causing the least amount of harm to healthy cells. The drugs operate by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. For patients with small cell carcinoma, chemotherapy is the medication of choice.Chemotherapy can be used after surgery to eliminate cancer in non-small cell carcinoma to improve the likelihood of a cure. Adjuvant chemotherapy is the term for this form of treatment.

C) Radiation Therapy : High-energy rays are used to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours in this treatment. Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) are newer techniques that ensure maximum dose to the tumour while protecting normal organs from side effects.

D) Targeted Therapy / Immunotherapy : Certain individuals, typically nonsmokers, are candidates for a newer class of drugs that target particular flaws in cancer cells or surrounding supportive tissues including blood vessels. These medications may be taken orally or intravenously. They’re most effective in cancers that have unique genetic variations.

How does elite onco care centre help ?

Elite Hemat Onco Care Center is a unique combination of Day Care and registered Hospital with required statutory approvals. Assurance and commitment is our priority through Medical innovations, advanced technology, professionally equipped units such as semi ICU manned with intensive care specialists and oncologists, thereby, ensuring our patient’s safety backed by absolute comfort. Through our endeavors, we wish to support the majority of cancer patients breaking all barriers such as hospitalization cost, unaffable technology and continual care.