Amazingly and to the surprise of many lung cancer is the most preventable type of cancer.
Yet it is the leading cause of deaths for both men and women.
Eight out of ten people with this cancer are due to smoking tobacco namely cigarettes, cigars and pipe smoking.
The two major types of this cancer are non-small cell cancer and small cell lung cancer.
Each of these cancers has its own unique characteristics which affects how it grows, it spreads and how it is treated.
Known symptoms of cancer of the lungs include persistent cough that gets worse with time, chest pain, weight loss, appetite loss, coughing up blood, feverish, repeated pneumonia and bronchitis.
It can however be noted that these specific symptoms may as well be related to other illness therefore a professional medical doctor diagnosis is required.
As noted earlier cancer of the lungs is the most preventable type of cancer.
This means there are specific things that people can do to avoid it and easily so.
Smoking again as noted earlier is the leading cause of cancer of the lungs in eight out of ten cases.
This by default means quitting smoking or never starting to smoke in the first place is by far the best way to lower the risk of cancer of the lungs.
Individuals who smoke are at seriously increased risk of suffering from lung cancer.
this include people who are affected by second hand smoke or side stream tobacco smoke.
This explains the rapid spread of bans on smoking in public places right across the world.
Doctors note that eating a healthy, balanced diet with at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day will also significantly reduce the risk of cancer of the lungs.
Other means of contracting cancer of the lungs will include exposure to cancer causing chemicals in the work environment.
Monitoring indoor levels of radon more so in the home can also protect against cancer of the lungs.
One thing to note about cancer of the lungs is that symptoms do not appear until the disease has progressed.
This makes early detection based on the appearance of symptoms very difficult.
Doctors highlight that in many cases early detections of cancer of the lungs occur incidentally.
This often occurs when unrelated testes for other unrelated diseases or conditions are being done.
Doctors normally do an interview for risk factors and symptoms as part of the diagnosis.
This is apart from the tests such as x-ray and CT scan ans well as analysis of cells in the phlegm.
Doctors may also use technology to view the breathing passages through a flexible lighted tube.
In terms of treatment surgery to remove cancerous tumors, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drugs can be used.
These drugs can be in combination or alone all dependent on cancer type and stage of progression.