Lung Cancer

Title: Lung Cancer

I – Introduction

Lung cancer is a disease which consists of uncontrolled cell growth in lung tissues. The body normally maintains cell growth only producing new cells when needed. Disruption of normal cell growth results in an uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells eventually forming a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant, but when we speak of cancer, the tumors are malignant. Lung cancer metastasizes very early after it forms making it a very life-threatening cancer, difficult to treat. It is the second most common cancer in both men and women, as well as the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women.  

II - Contents

A. What are several risk factors increase chance of getting lung cancer.

Smoking-Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. In the United States, cigarette smoking causes about 90% of lung cancers. Using other tobacco products such as cigars or pipes also increases the risk for lung cancer. Tobacco smoke is a toxic mix of more than 7,000 chemicals. Many are poisons. At least 70 are known to cause cancer in people or animals.

People who smoke are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke. Even smoking a few cigarettes a day or smoking occasionally increases the risk of lung cancer. The more years a person smokes and the more cigarettes smoked each day, the more risk goes up.

People who quit smoking have a lower risk of lung cancer than if they had continued to smoke, but their risk is higher than the risk for people who never smoked. Quitting smoking at any age can lower the risk of lung cancer.

Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. Smoking causes cancer of the mouth, nose, throat, voicebox , esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, stomach, blood, and bone marrow .

Secondhand Smoke- Smoke from other people's cigarettes, pipes, or cigars also causes lung cancer. When a person breathes in...