WHAT IS LUNG CANCER?

 

The answer to the title question is simple. Lung cancer is cancer in the lungs. But you may wonder just what is happening in the lungs to develop lung cancer. Since lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the United States and cancer is the number two cause of deaths in the United States, I thought to make a few posts about the lungs and lung cancer. We will start with the basics; lung cancer happens when cells in the lungs grow out of control.

Normally, new cells grow and divide as the body needs them but die when they are old or damaged. But if you have lung cancer, new cells form when your body doesn't need them. These extra cells build up and form into a tumor.  That is a very basic fact as I am not a medical person to go into further detail. 

Many wonder what causes lung cancer, and there are many reasons. Most think those who have lung cancer developed it because of smoking. That is a leading reason, but not the only one. Other causes are exposure to radon gas, secondhand smoke or other chemicals. One can also inherit a higher risk of cancer.

Smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer, but it is not the only one.

This is a file photo.

DO YOU SMOKE OR USE TOBACCO PRODUCTS?

Even in 2021 with all we know about the dangers of smoking, almost 40 million American adults still smoke cigarettes. In addition to that approximately 4.7 million students say they use at least one tobacco product weekly and that includes e-cigarettes. This is not good when you consider the damage this does to lungs. Lungs are vital to life. We all know we need a brain and heart to live but without the lungs we are also in trouble. If you are one of the above statistics it would be to your advantage to stop using tobacco products. Your doctor is a good place to go for help. You can also visit smokefree.gov for helpful information.

PAD AND SMOKING

A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, June 7, 2011 found that when researchers tracked more than 39,000 women for over 12 years they found that smoking led to a 10-fold increase in the risk for PAD - Peripheral arterial disease.  PAD is a serious disorder that occurs when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the lower extremities, namely feet and legs.  Stopping smoking lowered the risk but the risk is still greater than those who have never smoked.  Whether you are a man or a woman, if you are a smoker you need to do yourself a big favor and quit!  As the wife/caregiver of a man who smoked for many years and now struggles daily to breathe because of COPD, I highly recommend you stop smoking now if you enjoy life.  I can promise you, your life will be diminished from cigarette smoking.  Of course eating a healthy diet is always good for you, but it cannot cure the ills smoking does to the body!