Lung Cancer

2010-04-23T00:16:00.000-07:00

Lung cancer is among the most common cancers in the Western world. Lung cancer occurs due to the growth of malignant or abnormal cells in the lung. It is the third most common cancer in males and the fifth in females. Yet lung cancer is increasingly becoming a woman's problem. The risk for dying of lung cancer is 20 times higher among women who smoke two or more packs of cigarettes per day than among women who do not smoke at all.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the American population and the western world. Lung cancer use to be the leading cause of cancer deaths in American men only, but since 1988, women have caught up with men and since then lung cancer is leading cause of cancer deaths in women as well. Well over 170,000 cases of lung cancers are diagnosed in the United States each year. Very few fortunate ones get cured from this miserable disease. About 157,000 people die as the direct result of lung cancer.

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Lung cancer may also be the most tragic cancer because in most cases, it might have been prevented, 87% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Lung cancer has long been the most common cause of cancer death in men and since 1987 it has also become the most common cause of cancer death in women.

The specific causes of cancers are still not fully understood. However there has been lots of developments and research being done all over the world. Basically, a cancer arises from the abnormal and uncontrolled division of cells which invade and destroy the surrounding tissues causing death. There are different types of cancers, among them the four most common cancers are breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.

Anyone who has read any of my articles or anything I've written knows by now that I enjoy a good book or movie. A way to escape for a short period of time, away from the worry of bills, money, cancer and the rest of the things in the world that demand so much of our attention. A very well written book or a well-produced and directed movie can really do the trick. Something that challenges your thought process or even your beliefs, makes you ask yourself "what would I do in that circumstance," would I make the right decision the right move what would I do different.

In the UK 38,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year. There are two types of lung cancer; small cell which occurs in 20% of cases and non-small cell which occurs in 80% of cases. Small cell lung cancer is the most dangerous as it travels through to other parts of the body early on and can get into the bloodstream or lymph system quite quickly. Non small cell lung cancer travels more slowly and if caught early can be successfully cured.