Composed of many different types of cells; the lungs are one of the largest organs in a human body. Separated into two sections, the left and right lungs, they perform Themost important task for life – breaking down the air we breathe to give every human the needed oxygen for survival. So what is lung cancer? The cells in each lung, and the whole body for that matter, go through the usual life cycle of living and dying. As the old cells complete their life cycles new one are formed to take their place.
In the case of lung cancer, cells keep producing new cells when the other cells are perfectly normal, which means there is an excess of cells in a particular area of the lung. These cells would not have room to be present, and they also have no function as they would not be able to specialize into the different types of cells because there is no reason for them to. Because of this there is an influx of cells in the lung, which cause a mass of cells, better known as a tumor, to be formed.
It is well advertised today that tobacco usage is considered one of the biggest causes of lung cancer. Unfortunately being a smoker yourself is not the only means of being affected by tobacco smoke. Being exposed to secondhand smoking can have the same result on your body. Because of this being exposed to tobacco users in any way, whether in your office, in a favorite restaurant or at home from a parent or partner, increases your chances of getting lung cancer as much as for the smokers themselves.
Tobacco smoke has carcinogens, chemicals that cause cells to start dividing irregularly and out of ‘tune’, thereby producing an excess number of cells in a particular part of the body. There have been many lawsuits against tobacco companies as they are not said to have made the impact tobacco has in the causation of lung cancer clear for the public. It is now the law that every cigarette packet should have a warning in bold letters mentioning how ‘tobacco is harmful to health’.
Treatment for lung cancer can vary according to how far the tumor has spread, or how much of an area is affected. Doctor’s would prescribe one or a combination of the following few as treatment methods, depending on each individual. Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy focus on killing the unwanted cells, while surgery removes the unwanted cells. Sometimes the healthy tissue surrounding it is removed to make sure there is no recurrence of the disease. More than any kind of therapy, being positive and having faith that you can get through this is the best and fastest way to a cure!