This year, nearly 175,000 Americans will learn they have lung cancer. Knowing the signs of lung cancer can help you catch it early, and may contribute to survival.
Everyone knows that smoking causes lung cancer. But so does exposure to substances like second-hand smoke, arsenic, radon, asbestos and air pollution. Dana Reeve, widow of actor Christopher Reeve, announced that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer despite being a nonsmoker.
There are currently no reliable screening tests for lung cancer like mammograms for breast cancer, so it's important for people at risk to look out for signs of the disease, including persistent cough or coughing blood, recurring pneumonia or bronchitis, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue.
A chest X-ray will often reveal a lung tumor and its location. Other tests, such as CT or PET scans, can provide more detailed information. To be certain that you have lung cancer, tissue from your lung will be removed and analyzed. This is called a biopsy.
If you have cancer, your treatment will depend on the type of cancer, its location and your overall health. The main treatments are:
* Surgery: A surgeon operates to remove the tumor.
* Chemotherapy: Medical oncologists use drugs to kill cancer cells. These drugs are typically given through the veins.
* Radiation therapy: Radiation oncologists have two main weapons against lung cancer - external beam radiation therapy and internal radiation, called brachytherapy.
During external beam treatments, radiation oncologists target high-energy X-rays at the tumor to destroy cancer cells or to relieve symptoms such as pain. These treatments do not hurt and take only a few minutes a day over several weeks.
With brachytherapy, a thin tube is placed down the nose and into the airways of the lung. The tube is then connected to a machine that delivers high doses of radiation to the cancer.
Side effects will be different for each patient depending on the type of cancer and the treatments received. Talk to your doctor to find out what you can expect.
For more information on lung cancer, visit or call the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology at (800) 962-7876 for a free brochure. -NU
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