Lung Cancer and Smoking - What's Your Brand?

Author: Beryl Cornel, M.D.

Lung cancer.when we hear these two words, we readily think of a deadly disease. Which is definitely true if it is not diagnosed early or if it is left untreated.

Carcinoma of the lungs is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and the reality is that it is often diagnosed in very late stages. And at these point in time, going for a cure is often very hard.

Because of these factors, lung tumors has one of the lowest survival outcomes of any type of cancer. Overall, of all people diagnosed at all stages, only about 20 out of every 100 people (20 percent) will live for at least 1 year after diagnosis.  About 6 out of every 100 people diagnosed (percent) will live for at least 5 years after diagnosis.  And about 5 out of every 100 will live for at least 10 years. For those who are able to have surgery to remove their cancer, about 20 out of 100 (20 percent) are alive 5 years later.

What is lung cancer?

It is a disease which involves a growth of abnormal cells inside the lungs. These cells grow out of control and reproduce at a very fast rate. Because of their uncontrolled growth, they form a mass called a tumor. If this abnormal group of cells begins in the lung, it is known as a primary lung cancer.

There are 2 types of lung ca: NSCLC or non small cell lung cancer and SCLC or small cell lung cancer. The type is determined by how they behave in the body and by how the cancers respond to a specific type of treatment like chemotherapy or surgery or radiation therapy. They are also determined by how the cells look under the microscope. The most common type is NSCLC, which accounts for 80 percent of all cancer tumors.

Some facts and statistics:

1. Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the world - causing more deaths than breast and prostate cancer put together.

2. Every 30 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world dies from cancer of the lungs.3. 40 percent of smokers who start smoking in their early teens and continue to smoke will not live to claim their pension.4. Only 1 in every 10 people are alive 5 years after diagnosis.5. Recent studies indicate that women are more susceptible than men.
6. Women smokers are twice as likely to develop lung cancer than male smokers. Even among non-smokers women's risk of developing lung tumors is higher than men.7. Women also have a more difficult time overcoming nicotine addiction than men.Cancer ranks as number 3 in the top 10 leading causes of mortality in the Philippines. (DOH - Philippine Health Statistics)

By the year 2010, 11,458 Filipinos will have lung cancer.

Estimated Leading New Cancer Cases in 2010, Both Sexes, Philippines (GLOBOCAN 2008)

By the year 2010, these are the estimated 10 leading causes of cancer death. Lung cancer ranks as number 1.

Estimated Leading New Cancer Deaths in 2010, Both Sexes, Philippines (GLOBOCAN 2008)

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS?

Since cancer is a deadly disease, it would be very prudent if we take steps in preventing the occurrence of lung related cancers, rather than waiting for it to occur and treating it.



Therefore, it is important to recognize and identify the factors which can increase the chance of developing these types of cancers.



1. Cigarette smoking and tobacco smoking is responsible for 90% of lung cancers in males and 65 % in females. Where there is cigarette smoking, there is definitely poison!
 
 


Some of the more common ingredient and their effect on the body are:



*Arsenic is one of the most dangerous chemicals in cigarettes. It can cause cancer as well as damaging the heart and its blood vessels.



* Benzene is an important industrial solvent and is used in the production of drugs, plastics, synthetic rubber, and dyes. Benzene is a natural component of crude oil. It is a well known fact that benzene can cause cancer, especially leukemia. Tobacco smoke contains large amounts of benzene and accounts for a big proportion of our exposure to this poison. The average smoker inhales about ten times more benzene than the average non-smoker. Some studies have estimated that the amount of benzene that a person inhales through second-hand smoke over their lifetime could increase their risk of cancer.



* Formaldehyde is a chemical used to kill bacteria, embalm dead bodies and manufacture other chemicals. It is one of the substances in tobacco smoke most likely to cause diseases in our lungs and airways. Formaldehyde is also a known cause of cancer. It is believed that even the small amounts in second-hand smoke could increase our lifetime risk of cancer. Tobacco smoke is one of our major sources of formaldehyde exposure. Places where people smoke can have three times the normal levels of this poison.



* Hydrogen cyanide is a poisonous gas. Of all the chemicals in tobacco smoke, it does the most damage to the heart and blood vessels. Hydrogen cyanide does not cause cancer, but it increases the risk of other chemicals causing cancer by damaging cilia. These are tiny hairs lining the airways that help to clear poisons away. By killing the cilia of the lungs, hydrogen cyanide causes other dangerous chemicals to be stuck in the lungs and airways.

Knowing that these dangerous chemicals are included in the cigarettes and tobacco people smoke, this should encourage people to stop smoking so that we can decrease the incidence of lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the person who currently smokes 1 pack of cigarettes per day have a 25% higher chances of developing lung cancer, than the people who doesn't smoke.



2. Second hand smoke - This is also known as passive smoking. These are  people who are regularly exposed to second hand smoke ( wives of husbands whoa re heavy smokers, or people who in areas wherein there are a lot of smokers), but do not smoke themselves. Unfortunately, and of course, unfairly have a 24% grater risk of developing lung cancer than most non-smokers. They have estimated that about 3000 deaths due to lung cancer in a year can be ascribed to 2nd hand smoke.



3. Radon gas – This is a colorless gas that is  are a lot of granite. Fortunately, in our country, there are only isolated pockets of this naturally occurring radon gas. So in our country, radon gas is not much of a major risk factor for developing lung cancer.

4. Air pollution – Scientists have estimated that 1 %  s can be attributed to air pollution. It is even believed that prolonged exposure to polluted air will raise the risk of lung cancer to as that of a passive smoker. Air pollution is a problem of our country, we have a lot of coal-fired factories, our jeepneys and buses are smoke belchers which contributes to the unhealthy levels of airborne particulate matters found in Metro Manila.

Of all these risk factors, the most important factor that we should try to control is cigarette smoking, since this causes 90% of all lung cancer cases.



LUNG CANCER AND SMOKING

It is a well known fact that the people who smoke cigarettes are at a higher risk of developing lung tumors, and even passive smoking increases lung cancer risk. Some people claim that low tar cigarettes are safer to smoke, but the reality is that it does not reduce the risk of developing cancer. It might feel smoother and lighter on the throat, but it definitely is not healthier than the regular cigarettes. The truth is that light cigarettes do not reduce the health risks of smoking. There is no such thing as a safe cigarette.



To further emphasize the dangers of cigarette smoking, the ad Marlboro country popularized the coolness of smoking, however the 3 actors who played the Marlboro man (Wayne Mclaren, David McLean and Dick Hammer) both died of lung cancer, years after they appeared in the ad campaigns for Marlboro cigarettes.



Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer all over the world. And it is one of the most lethal cancers present. Therefore, we should all make an effort to decrease the incidence of this dreaded disease and prevent the further rise of lung tumors. The first thing that we must do is to control the risk factors for cancer of the lungs that can be modified, and that is to help people to quit smoking. This way, we can drastically reduce the people who will have cancer because of smoking and because of passive smoking.



We must exert extra effort to control the increasing incidence of this disease. This way we would be able to save more people, and stop the occurrence of lung cancer.


Because if we do not advocate people to stop smoking, we will probably be the ones telling our friends that we have the dreaded disease called Lung Cancer.

Article Source: Articlesbase.com

About The Author:

Dr. Beryl Cornel is a Medical Oncologist/Cancer Specialist with a sub-specialization on Lung Cancer and is a licensed medical doctor in the Philippines. Please visit http://cancerdoctorph.com to Get More Cancer Facts, Information and Resources on Cancer Diagnosis, Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Clinical trials and Finding the Right Cancer Doctor.

(c) Copyright - Beryl Cornel, M.D.. All Rights Reserved.

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