Lung Cancer

Sydney Freedman and Rachel Rea

Causes

• No exact cause• Smokers and non-smokers can get lung cancer• Smoke causes cancer by damaging cells that

line to lungs– Over time begin to act abnormal and cancer might

form

Symptoms

• New cough that persists• Chronic cough aka “smokers cough”• Coughing up blood• Shortness of breath• Chest pain• Wheezing• Hoarseness• Weight loss• Bone pain• Headaches

Diagnosis/Treatments

• Doctors use imaging tests (x-rays/CT’s), sputum cytology, tissue sampling (biopsy) to diagnosis lung cancer

• Different treatments are used based on what stage of cancer– Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug

therapy

Small Cell Lung Cancer

• One of the two main types• Not as common • Fast growing and spreads quickly• Rare for it to develop in a non-smoker

Large Cell Lung Cancer

• Umbrella term for several types of lung cancer that behave in a similar way

• 3 main types– Cell carcinoma– Adenocarcinoma– Large cell carcinoma

Stage 0

• Called Situ Disease• Cancer is in place but has not invaded nearby

tissues or spread outside of the lung

Stage 1

• Small tumor that has not spread to lymph nodes– Makes it possible for surgeons to remove

• 2 substages– IA: smaller tumors (less than 3 cm)– IB: larger tumors (3-5 cm)

Stage 2• Can sometimes be removed with surgery but usually other treatments are

necessary• 2 substages

– IIA: a tumor that is 5-7 cm that has not spread to lymph nodes or a tumor less than 5 cm that has spread to the lymph nodes

– IIB: a tumor 5-7 cm that has spread to lymph nodes or a tumor larger than 7 cm that has invaded nearby structures but has not spread to the lymph nodes

Stage 3

• Surgeon cannot completely remove it but may remove it bit by bit

• Classified as either IIIA or IIIB• For most IIIA and some IIIB tumor has spread to the

lymph nodes in the chest or invaded nearby structures in the lung

Stage 4

• Cancer has spread to more than one area of the lung, fluid surrounding the lung and heart or other parts of the blood via the bloodstream

• Once in the blood it usually spreads to the brain, bones, liver and adrenal glands

• Classified as IVA if tumor spreads only within the chest• Classified as IVB if tumor spreads outside of the chest

Risks

• Smoking is the biggest risk factor– Depends on the number of cigarettes one smokes a day

and how many years they have been smoking– Second hand smoke also significantly increases ones

chances of getting lung cancer• Other factors include exposure to radon gas, asbestos and

other chemicals, excessive alcohol use, and family history of lung cancer

Other Facts

• Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in men and women in the United States

• 373, 489 Americans are living with lung cancer• Most patients have been diagnosed within the last 5 years• Most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.3 million

deaths annually