Are you experiencing shortness of breath?
Is your weight loss unexplained?
Is your chest getting infected frequently?
All these might be an indication of lung cancer and should not be taken lightly.
Lung cancer can be defined as a condition that causes cells to divide in the lungs uncontrollably. These unwanted cells develop into tumours that reduces a person’s ability to breathe. So, it becomes imperative to get treated by the best oncologist in Delhi as the region offers some good options.
Are you aware of these facts?
- After oral cancer, lung cancer is the second most leading cause of cancer death in men.
- Oral and lung cancer together account for 25% of the total cancer deaths in males.
- Identifying lung cancer in the earlier stages can be a little difficult as its symptoms are similar to those of a respiratory infection, or there may be no symptoms at all.
In this blog, we are going to discuss the nature of lung cancer, how to recognize the symptoms, and the ways doctors treat lung cancer.
How cancer affects your lungs?
Cancer causes certain mutations in the healthy cells.
Generally, the body programs cells to die at a certain stage in their life cycle to avoid overgrowth. But in cancer, these cells grow and multiply massively when they should not. This overgrowth of cells leads to the development of tumours. The same pattern is followed in the lungs when one suffers from lung cancer. Best doctors always recommend taking immediate treatment as the delay can make the situation worse.
5 symptoms of lung cancer that you should be aware of:
In lung cancer it is not always necessary that symptoms occur in the initial stage, many a time, they tend to appear in the later stages.
- Shortness of breath
- Appetite loss
- Frequent chest infections
- Unexplained headaches
- Weight loss
Diagnosis of lung cancer
This happens when the doctor develops a doubt of having cancer during lung cancer screening, or when a person is experiencing symptoms that indicate lung cancer. In this situation, several diagnostic tests are recommended to confirm the next steps.
- Imaging studies
CT stands for computed tomography and PET stands for positron emission tomography, both scans help in revealing the areas of lung tissue with cancer. Also, this may be used to track the progress of treatment or to ensure cancer has not returned, following a course of treatment.
- Tissue sampling
This is the next step of diagnosis when a doctor identifies a suspicious lesion on an imaging study, they may recommend taking a sample of lung tissue to test for potentially cancerous cells.
- Lab testing
This is the final step which is done to determine the presence of lung cancer by doing sputum testing or blood testing. This information can be further used to know what type of lung cancer may be present, and how advanced the disease has become.
Why early diagnosis is better?
Early diagnosis of lung cancer in itself is a life saviour. The logic behind the same is that in the initial stages the cancer is limited to a particular area and not spread to other parts of the body. This makes the situation less complicated and an oncologist finds it easy to treat.
Treatment of lung cancer
The treatment of any cancer whether its lung or liver depends on its location and stage, as well as the overall health of the individual. The two most common approaches to treat lung cancer is surgery and radiation. There are other options as well like the doctors often treat small cell lung cancer with chemotherapy.
4 types of treatments used to treat lung cancer:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted therapy
Due to the advancement of technology and use of the latest approaches, lung cancer treatment in Delhi has become quite convenient and easy for both the doctors and the patient. In fact, the top cancer hospitals in India offer a specialised centre for treatment which is managed by an expert team of doctors.