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  • Lung Cancer
    Lung cancer or carcinoma of the lung is uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining the air passages. It is the leading cause of death due to cancer worldwide. Lung cancer is strongly related to cigarette smoking. 90% of lung cancer is caused by smoking though non-smokers can also have lung cancer.
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 6 June 2014
Graphic of a lung

Lung cancer or carcinoma of the lung is uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining the air passages. It is the leading cause of death due to cancer worldwide.

Lung cancer is strongly related to cigarette smoking. 90% of lung cancer is caused by smoking though non-smokers can also have lung cancer.

Incidence of lung cancer varies greatly between countries depending on their smoking habits. While lung cancer cases are decreasing in developed countries thanks to effective anti-smoking programmes, lung cancer is rising at alarming rates in developing countries like India because of the increasing prevalence of smoking as well as pollution. More women are also being affected as more of them take to smoking. Lung cancer is a disease of elderly people. It is rare below 40 years of age with 80% of cases are diagnosed after the age of 60. The average age of diagnosis of lung cancer is above 70.   

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Anatomy of the lungs

The lungs are a pair of air-filled spongy organs on either side of the chest (thoracic cavity). In order to survive, the body needs to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.  The main function of the lungs is to exchange gases - between the air we breathe and our blood.

Air enters through the nose, goes down the windpipe (trachea) and into the lungs. Each lung is divided into lobes. The trachea divides into two main bronchi that enter the lungs. The bronchi further divides into bronchus, bronchioles, alveolar sacs and alveoli. Oxygen from the air we breathe is absorbed from the alveoli into the blood.

The lungs are covered with a double layer serous membrane called pleura and are separated from the abdominal organs by the diaphragm. Epithelial cells line the small and large airways. 

Lung cancer can develop in any part of the lung but most of the cancers develop from epithelial cells. 

 

 

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  • Did I get Lung Cancer because I am Asian?
    Shailaja Asave, a non-smoker, who developed lung cancer at 67, believed to be due to a gene mutation prevalent in Asian women, is undergoing targeted therapy and living each day to the fullest. Read about her diagnosis, treatment and unbeatable spirit. When were you detected with lung cancer? Last year in February 2017. It was already in the advanced stage, what is called Stage IV. What were your initial symptoms? I had a persistent dry cough for 3 months which did not go away with anti-allergy…
  • A doctor on the right with a stethoscope and a woman on the left looking at a scan of lungs.
    Targeted Therapies Are The Latest Weapon For Lung Cancer
    Dr Kumar Prabhash, Prof. Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, gives insights into the different types and stages of lung cancer and outlines the benefits of targeted therapy as treatment. How many different types of lung cancer are there? Earlier lung cancer was classified only into two major types: Small cell lung cancers (SCLC) and Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), based upon the microscopic appearance of the tumor cells. These two different types of cancers grow, spread as…
  • Frontal shot of a dark haired and bearded person
    My Humble Request To All: Please Give Up Smoking
    Atabuddin Mondal,53 from Chakdaha, West Bengal has been suffering from Bronchogenic Carcinoma, and is now in a better form after going through chemotherapy cycles. He shares his experiences of handling the Big C. Please tell us about your condition. I have been suffering from Lung Cancer. When were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed on 25/02/2018 with Bronchogenic carcinoma,1st stage. What were the early symptoms? Being addicted to smoking, first came the change in voice and then I had a…
  • Stock image of a woman in blue scarf in the foreground and a group of people in the background pointing to her
    "Its Time For Film Characters That Survive Cancer!"
    Cancer stigmas are often barriers for seeking diagnosis, as well as treatment and rehabilitation. Shubha Maudgal and Susmitra Mitra of Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), Mumbai give us an insight into the current taboos surrounding cancer and the challenges such stigmas pose for patients and society. 1. What does cancer stigma entail? There are two kinds of stigma involved with cancer. One is Self which is in the mind of patients themselves, stemming from guilt or shame.  The other is…
  • Bad Death Avoidable with Palliative Care
    Specialty palliative care, in contrast to standard oncology care, can provide an extra layer of support for patients with lung cancer and their families. Dr Rajam Iyer, a pulmonologist and strong proponent of palliative care, enumerates its benefits for lung cancer patients. What is palliative care for lung cancer? In India, lung cancer constitutes 6.9 per cent of all new cancer cases and 9.3 per cent of all cancer related deaths in both sexes. At the time of…
  • My Experience Is Going To Be What My Experience Is Going To Be
    Sunil Dutta, a writer and a poet has found that accepting death, being curious rather than fearful helps in dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. He finds solace in Ghalib and Zauk. Sunil Dutta stared at a scan of his lungs. Hundreds of tiny nodules melded together into a snow-white mass — each pockmark occupying what was once healthy tissue. A normal lung scan is mostly dark grey hues, with a few white spots indicating abnormalities. This was something entirely different. “…
  • Image of a man with a mask in a polluted city.
    Air pollution is a Public Health Problem - A Leading Cause of Poor Health and Cancers
    Dr Radha Goyal, Deputy Director of Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA), New Delhi, shares the research on how the carcinogenic elements in the air we breathe are lethal in more senses than one. The current pollution levels in our country, particularly in Delhi/NCR – how threatening is it for lung cancer cases? The latest urban air quality database released by the World Health Organization (WHO) reconfirms that most Indian cities are becoming death traps because of very high air…
  • 10 Warning Signs of Lung Cancer
    On World Lung Cancer Day, consultant respirologist at Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital Dr Lancelot Pinto highlights 10 common symptoms of lung cancer. Lung cancer accounts for about 13 per cent of all new cancers in India, with smoking being by far the leading cause of the disease. Individuals who currently smoke, or have smoked in the past, those who have a family history of lung cancers, and those who have been exposed at work to asbestos are at a particularly high risk for lung cancer, compared to…
  • I Breathe, No More
    Diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, author and neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi chronicles his illness and death in an emotionally moving book, When Breath Becomes Air, which is currently topping the New York Times bestseller list. Our editor Shivani Maheshwari shares her view: There are not many books that leave you as unsettled as Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air. It gets difficult to hold back the tears at the end, as Kalanithi battles time to chronicle his illness…
  • Lung Cancer - Who Cares
    Internationally, lung cancer now causes 1.6 million deaths annually. It’s the most common cancer worldwide, and kills more people (27%) than any other cancer. Its death toll annually is greater than the total deaths caused by colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Among the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide, lung cancer is number five. Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one killer, followed by stroke, chronic obstructive lung disease (a heavy risk…