Important Facts About Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the growth of abnormal cells in the lungs that cluster together and form a tumor. Cancer cells growth without control and order and damage the healthy lung tissues around them. Lung cancer is mainly divided into small cell cancer and non-small cell cancer. Carcinoid is also a lung cancer type that acts clinically different and is treated in different ways. Lung cancer affects the human body in different ways to each person so it is significant to know the treatment options available for the particular cancer one is affected with.
Here we list out some important lung cancer facts;
- In America, lung cancer is the most important cancer killer of both men and women.
- Around 400,000 people in America are living with lung cancer. And 80% of the people lives with lung cancer are above the age 60, which means the disease affects the older people most severely.
- Survival rate of lung cancer is extremely lower than breast cancer, with a survival rate of 90%.
- Earlier stage diagnosis is only 15% possible and if it has spread to other organs, the survival rate is 3.5%.
- Reports reveal that around half of people living with lung cancer die within a year of diagnosis.
- Smoking is the major reason for 90% of all types of lung cancer.
- Asbestos exposure also adds to the risk for lung cancer.
- Americans and Africans are more prone to developing lung cancer.
- Black women smoke more hardly than white women; however their incidence rate of lung cancer is almost equal.
Lung cancer can be affected to anyone
Lung cancer can affect to any kind of person. You could be a sportsperson, one with a healthy body or one who follows a healthy lifestyle. Lung cancer patients and caregivers need substantial support and hope from the family and society. Hope and attention is essential to make others aware about lung cancer.
Benign tumors
When tumors become larger and increased in number, the ability of lungs to create bloodstream with oxygen is weakened. But some tumors remain in one place and don’t spread to other organs. This type is called benign tumors.
Malignant tumors
This is the most dangerous tumors spreading to other organs either through bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Metastasis refers to the spread of cancer to other organs of the body and if it spreads, it is very difficult to treat successfully.
Primary lung cancer indicates the growth of abnormal cells in the lungs while secondary lung cancer begins somewhere else in the body, spread throughout the body and reaches the lungs. This type of cancer is not treated in the same way as the primary lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute in the USA reveals that by the end of 2015, there will be around 221200 new lung cancer diagnoses and 158040 lung cancer deaths. World Health Organization states that around 7.6 million deaths in the world are caused by cancer in every year. And, lung cancer is considerably the major cancer killer.