Lung Cancer Symptoms - Lung cancer, a hidden killer

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in humans. One of its main recognised causes is the inhalation of tobacco smoke. There are many other substances that can trigger a tumor, such as asbestos or chromium, where you work can be a major factor to the onset of lung cancer.

All other causes such as the environment are far less common it terms of numbers of cases. Even the lung cancer risk from naturally occurring radon is tiny when compared to tobacco smoking. The cure rate of lung cancer is still very poor and has a five-year survival rate of just ten percent.

Lung cancer kills more victims as breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer. By the time the patient develops the first serious symptoms, such as chronic hoarseness of the voice or coughing up blood, it is usually too late for a successful therapy.

But if lung cancer is detected early, according to American Cancer Society a survival rate of 47 of the most frequently performed X-ray examinations. Unfortunately the random detection of lung cancer in early stage (Stage 1) with an X-ray image is difficult. It is known that a shadow of around 5-10 mm can be easily overlooked.

In men, it is the most common cancer worldwide; the ratio of infected men to women is around 3 to 1, which is probably due to the change in female tobacco consumption behaviour over the past few decades, and the fact that smoking has always been more popular with teenage males than females.

The most prevalent age for the onset of the disease is around the 60th year. The average 5-year survival rate (that is, how many patients after 5 years are still alive) is only 5%. The life expectancy of the individual patient is very much dependant on the stage of disease when it is diagnosed, the earlier the better.

There may be minor clues to impending lung cancer that are easily overlooked, a persistent or often re-occurring cough that you just cant shift, or other persistent repertory problems that may not be any more than a slight inconvenience may be an indicator of growing lung cancer problems.

The main reason that lung cancer is triggered by tobacco smoking, is because it contains about 2,000 chemical substances, of which at least 100 are carcinogenic (cancer causing) such as tar and a variety of other hydrocarbon compounds.

(Marijuana contains around ten times as much tar as tobacco)

Up to 95 percent of all patients with lung cancer are, or were smokers. Passive smoking has also been demonstrated the increased disease risk, although this is often disputed. From 30 to 40 years after the start of smoking is the risk rises to 60 times higher than in non-smokers.

As with all cancers, early detection is the key to a large reduction in the risk of loss of life, do not ignore persistent coughs or other "minor" breathing, lung or chest problems, even if they do not actually make you unwell, they may be nothing. But they may be part of your bodies early warning system telling you something is wrong.

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