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| LUNG CANCER |
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS DISEASE
Cancer ... Who is not afraid of this terrible word that sounded from the lips of doctors? Fortunately, medicine does not stand still, new treatment technologies are being constantly developed, more reliable and affordable.
The most common of all tumors is lung cancer. It is noteworthy that urban residents are more susceptible to this disease than rural ones, and men among the diseased are much more common than women.
What is cancer?
Cancer is a disease associated with cell mutation. No one knows what causes a failure in the cell program. But still, the main reasons for the development of this pathology include factors such as:
smoking.
some viruses.
air filled with dust particles.
ecology.
Stage of lung cancer.
There are 4 stages of lung cancer:
Zero stage, in which cancer cells are only in the inner membrane of the lung.
First stage. It is placed if the tumor is not more than 3 cm, is in the same segment and metastases are not found.
Second stage. The tumor does not exceed 6 cm, while also in only one segment of the lung, but the first metastases in the lymph nodes have already appeared.
Third stage. The tumor reached 6 cm and more, affected the neighboring lobes of the lung, metastasis in the lymph nodes is already a lot.
The fourth stage-metastases have already affected neighboring organs.
This classification is for squamous cell carcinoma. Small cell cancer has only two stages, as it proceeds much faster.
Lung cancer symptoms
painful prolonged cough;
fast fatiguability;
lack of appetite;
weight loss;
spotting when coughing, mainly already in the late stages;
dyspnea;
pain syndrome.
Also, body temperature can rise, a hoarseness of the voice appears, and even difficult movement of food along the digestive tract occurs.
In order to identify or refute the disease, it is necessary to carry out lung diagnostics on time.
Diagnosis of lung cancer
Diagnostics includes a number of studies:
X-ray examination.
Bronchoscopy
Blood tests;
Ultrasound of the lungs.
There are other survey methods.
Lung cancer treatment
Methods of treating lung cancer are selected only after a complete diagnosis, based on its results.
Surgical treatment. At the moment, a new methodology for operations has appeared. Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) technique, in which small incisions are made and an operation is performed using a small camera and special tools. The tumor is removed either completely or its small segment. The new method is less painful, and recovery after such an operation is easier and faster.
Chemotherapy is a medication that destroys a tumor.
Radiotherapy is the irradiation of a neoplasm using a powerful beam of directed gamma rays. With this procedure, cancer cells are destroyed or cease to multiply. Recently, a new method of radiotherapy-IMRT RAPID Arc. With this method, the radiation dose is directed only to the diseased part of the lung, without affecting healthy tissue.
Immunotherapy is a unique method in which the body's own immunity is set against cancer cells. The methods of combating cancer are diverse, the main thing is not to give up and remember: lung cancer, this is not a sentence!
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