Lung Cancer, A Simple Guide To The Cancer, Types And Treatments
By Kenneth Kee
()
About this ebook
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Singapore men.
Smoking (active and passive) contributes to this cancer as does inhalation of asbestos and other toxic chemicals.
While the incidence of men smoking has decreased there are alarmingly more women who are smoking.
A lung cancer patient of mine recounts his regret in long term smoking which led to his condition with the breathlessness, loss of weight, heart failure and weakness.
He eventually succumbed to his illness.
Just 2 weeks ago a middle aged woman professional of 65 years had her usual annual medical examination.
To her horror her chest X-ray showed evidence of cancer of the lung.
CT scan of the lungs and liver showed the presence of Stage 4 cancer of the lung which had spread to the liver.
She was given 6 months to live.
She was not even a smoker.
Lung Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs.
The cells lining air passages grow and divide until an abnormal mass or tumor is formed.
There are 2 main types of Lung Cancer:
1. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has the most aggressive clinical course of any type of pulmonary tumor, with median survival from diagnosis of only 2 to 4 months.
2. Non-small cell lung cancer
a. Squamous cell carcinoma:
Cancer that begins in squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales, also called epidermoid carcinoma.
b. Large cell carcinoma:
Cancer that may begin in several types of large cells.
c. Adenocarcinoma:
Cancer that begins in the cells that line the alveoli.
d. Other less common types of non-small cell lung cancer are:
pleomorphic, carcinoid tumor, salivary gland carcinoma, and unclassified carcinoma.
These types are based on how the cells look under a microscope.
The Non-small cell Lung cancer often seen in middle aged and elderly persons may take up to 10-30 years to develop.
Once developed Lung cancers tend to spread quickly because the lungs are richly supplied by blood and lymph vessels.
In the travel through the lymph vessels, it can cause enlarged lymph nodes.
If it enters the blood, the cancer cells can spread to the liver, bone, brain or other parts of the body.
Causes are:
1. Cigarette smoking is the main cause
2. Cigar and pipe smoking
3. Passive smoking in a family where one member smokes
4. Industrial hazards such as chemicals and smoke emitted at workplace, such as asbestos, coal gas, chromates, uranium.
5. Radiation therapy to the breast or chest.
Chest X-ray and MRI of lung can detect Lung Cancer.
The treatment of cancer consists of Surgery, Radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The choice of treatment depends on the size, extent and the type lung cancer and the general health of the patient. Small cell lung cancer is mostly treated with chemotherapy.
Non small cell lung cancer can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of these.
No one wants cancer or his body cell to becomes mutant
But when the body mutates and become malignant
There is nothing much that you can do about it
All you do is hope the cancer cells can be removed by surgery
The other treatments in the past is radiation or chemotherapy
Now there are stem cells, hormone treatment and immunotherapy
Targeted therapy is focused directly on a particular cluster of cancer cells
The exact location where the cancer cells dwell
Avoid smoking if possible; cigarette smoke has 40 types of carcinogens
Avoid alcohol which can cause cancer of mouth, eosphagus and liver conditions
Avoid chemicals like asbestos, alphatoxins from nuts and silica
Avoid sun rays, radiation from phones, viral infections and trauma
-An original poem by Kenneth Kee
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Lung Cancer
Chapter 2 More Facts of Lung Cancer
Chapter 3 T
Kenneth Kee
Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"
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Lung Cancer, A Simple Guide To The Cancer, Types And Treatments - Kenneth Kee
Lung Cancer,
A
Simple
Guide
To
The Cancer,
Types
And
Treatments
By
Dr Kenneth Kee
M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)
Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)
Copyright Kenneth Kee 2014 Smashwords Edition
Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com
Dedication
This book is dedicated
To my wife Dorothy
And my children
Carolyn, Grace
And Kelvin
This book describes the Lung Cancer,
And Different Types and Treatments or in vernacular terms
(What you need to treat Lung Cancer)
This eBook is licensed for the personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.
If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Introduction
Ode to Lung Cancer
No one wants cancer or his body cell to becomes mutant
But when the body mutates and become malignant
There is nothing much that you can do about it
All you do is hope the cancer cells can be removed by surgery
The other treatments in the past is radiation or chemotherapy
Now there are stem cells, hormone treatment and immunotherapy
Targeted therapy is focused directly on a particular cluster of cancer cells
The exact location where the cancer cells dwell
Avoid smoking if possible; cigarette smoke has 40 types of carcinogens
Avoid alcohol which can cause cancer of mouth, eosphagus and liver conditions
Avoid chemicals like asbestos, alphatoxins from nuts and silica
Avoid sun rays, radiation from phones, viral infections and trauma
-An original poem by Kenneth Kee
Interesting Tips about the Lung Cancer
A Healthy Lifestyle
1. Take a well Balanced Diet
2. As usual the treatment of cancer consists of Surgery, Radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
The choice of treatment depends on the size, extent and the type lung cancer and the general health of the patient.
Small cell lung cancer is mostly treated with chemotherapy.
Surgery is not usually suitable because this type of cancer has normally spread at the time of diagnosis.
Non small cell lung cancer can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of these.
Surgery
Part or whole of the lung can be removed in the treatment of lung cancer.
After surgery the patient may require assisted ventilation for a short period.
Physical activity may be limited for a while.
If the remaining lung is in good condition, the patient may be able to live a normal life.
Chemotherapy:
Certain type of lung cancer is sensitive to chemotherapy.
It is used in combination with surgery and radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy:
Radiation may be used in conjunction with surgery or to relieve pressure symptoms
or pain caused by the lung cancer.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is a treatment that targets the cancer’s specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment that contributes to cancer growth and survival.
This type of treatment blocks the growth and spread of cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy cells.
3. Keep bones and body strong
Bone marrow produces our blood
Eat foods rich in calcium like yogurt, cheese, milk and dark green vegetables.
Eat foods rich in Vitamin D, like eggs, fatty fish, cereal, and fortified milk.
Eat food rich in Vitamins B and C such as green vegetables and fruits
Zinc and other minerals are important to the body
4. Get enough rest and Sleep
Avoid stress and tension
5. Exercise and stay active.
It is best to do weight-bearing exercise such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights for 2½ hours a week.
One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.
Begin slowly especially if a person has not been active.
6. Do not drink more than 2 alcohol drinks a day for a man or 1 alcohol drink a day for a woman.
Alcohol can affect the neurons and brain cells.
7. Stop or do not begin smoking.
It also interferes with blood supply and healing.
Chapter 1
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Singapore men.
Smoking (active and passive) contributes to this cancer as does inhalation of asbestos and other toxic chemicals.
While the incidence of men smoking has decreased there are alarmingly more women who are smoking.
A lung cancer patient of mine recounts his regret in long term smoking which led to his condition with the breathlessness, loss of weight, heart failure and weakness.
Lung cancer can be hard to treat especially if they are fast spreading.
He eventually succumbed to his illness.
Just 2 weeks ago a middle aged woman professional of 65 years had her usual annual medical examination.
To her horror her chest X-ray showed evidence of cancer of the lung.
CT scan of the lungs and liver showed the presence of Stage 4 cancer of the lung which had spread to the liver.
She was given 6 months to live.
She was not even a smoker.
She is also a health freak taking organic foods.
She did not have any symptoms except for some loss of weight.
What is Lung Cancer?
Lung Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs.
The cells lining air passages grow and divide until an abnormal mass or tumor is formed.
The cells then grow and spread to the rest of the body.
What are the types of Lung Cancer?
There are 2 main types of Lung Cancer:
1. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has the most aggressive clinical course of any type of pulmonary tumor, with median survival from diagnosis of only 2 to 4 months.
2. Non-small cell lung cancer.
a. Squamous cell carcinoma:
Cancer that begins in squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales.
This is also called epidermoid carcinoma.
b. Large cell carcinoma:
Cancer that may begin in several types of large cells.
c. Adenocarcinoma:
Cancer that begins in the cells that line the alveoli and make substances such as mucus.
d. Other less common types of non-small cell lung cancer are: pleomorphic, carcinoid tumor, salivary gland carcinoma, and unclassified carcinoma.
These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope.
The Non-small cell Lung cancer may take up to 10-30 years to develop.
Thus it is often seen in middle aged and elderly persons.
Once developed Lung cancers tend to spread quickly because the lungs are richly supplied by blood and lymph vessels.
In the travel through the lymph vessels, it can cause enlarged lymph nodes.
If it enters the blood, the cancer cells can spread to the liver, bone, brain or other parts of the body.
What are the causes of Lung Cancer?
Causes are related to:
1. Cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer.
2. Cigar and pipe smoking is also a source of lung cancer though less than those who smoke cigarettes.
3. Passive smoking in a family where one member smokes has been to increase the risk of lung cancer by 35%
4. Industrial hazards such as chemicals and smoke emitted at workplace also increase the risk of lung cancer. Examples are asbestos, coal gas, chromates, uranium.
5. Being treated with radiation therapy to the breast or chest.
What are the symptoms of Lung Cancer?
Symptoms:
1. Persistent cough which does not improve
2. Shortness of breath and wheezing due to the pressure of the tumor pressing on the airways.
3. Production of blood stained sputum
4. Chest pain especially together with a chronic cough
5. Sudden unexplained loss of weight
6. Loss of appetite
7. General weakness and tiredness
8. Recurrent chest infections and fever
9. Hoarseness of voice
How is the diagnosis of Lung Cancer made?
1. History and Medical examination especially history of smoking and exposure to chemicals
2. Chest X-ray to check for lung shadows
3. Sputum cytology- sometimes the cancer cells may be detected in the sputum
4. Bronchoscopy- a bronchoscope is passed into bronchi to study the airway while the patient is under general anesthesia.
Suspicious growth can be taken for biopsy (examination under microscope for cancer cells)
5. CT Scan and MRI produce 3D images of the lung
6. Ultrasound or another imaging procedure is used to locate the abnormal tissue or fluid in the lung.
7. Thoracoscopy:
A surgical procedure to look at the organs inside the chest to check for abnormal areas.
An incision (cut) is made between two ribs, and a thoracoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted into the chest.
Tissue samples and lymph nodes may be removed for biopsy.
This procedure may be used to remove parts of the esophagus or lung.
If certain tissues, organs, or lymph nodes can’t be reached, a thoracotomy may be done.
In this procedure, a larger incision is made between the ribs and the chest is opened.
What is the treatment of Lung Cancer?
As usual the treatment of cancer consists of Surgery, Radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
The choice of treatment depends on the size, extent and the type lung cancer and the general health of the patient.
Small cell lung cancer is mostly treated with chemotherapy.
Surgery is not usually suitable because this type of cancer has normally spread at the time of diagnosis.
You may also have radiotherapy.
Non small cell lung cancer can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of these.
Surgery
Part or whole of the lung can be removed in the treatment of lung cancer.
After surgery the patient may require assisted ventilation for a short period.
Physical activity may be limited for a while.
If the remaining lung is in good condition, the patient may be able to live a normal life.
Chemotherapy:
Certain type of lung cancer is sensitive to chemotherapy.
It is used in combination with surgery and radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy:
Radiation may be used in conjunction with surgery or to relieve pressure symptoms
or pain caused by the lung cancer.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is a treatment that targets the cancer’s specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment that contributes to cancer growth and survival.
This type of treatment blocks the growth and spread of cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy cells.
What is the prognosis of Lung Cancer?
The prognosis (chance of recovery) depends on the following:
1. The size of the lung cancer is important. The larger the cancer, the more likely the cancer will be inoperable
2. The stage of the cancer (whether it is in the lung only or has spread to other places in the body).
3. The type of lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is a rapidly growing cancer.
4. The patient’s general health.
For most patients with non-small cell lung cancer, current treatments do not cure the cancer.
Compared with other cell types of lung cancer, SCLC has a greater tendency to be widely disseminated by the time of diagnosis but is much more responsive to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Because patients with small cell lung cancer tend to develop distant metastases, localized forms of treatment, such as surgical resection or radiation therapy, rarely produce long-term survival.
With incorporation of current chemotherapy regimens into the treatment program, however, survival is unequivocally prolonged.
Chapter 2
More about Cancer Lungs
Approximately 95% of all primary lung tumors are bronchial carcinomas.
Metastases in the lung are common and typical sites for the primary tumor include the kidney, prostate, breast, bone, gastrointestinal tract, cervix and ovary.
Metastases usually develop in the parenchyma and are relatively asymptomatic even when metastases are extensive.
Carcinoma of the stomach, pancreas and breast may involve mediastinal glands and spread along the lung lymphatics (lymphangitis carcinomatosa), causing progressive and severe breathlessness.
About the lungs
When a person inhales, the lungs absorb oxygen from the air and bring the oxygen into the bloodstream for delivery to the rest of the body.
As the body’s cells use oxygen, they release carbon dioxide.
The bloodstream carries carbon dioxide back to the lungs, and the carbon dioxide leaves the body when a person exhales.
The lungs contain many different types of cells.
Most cells in the lung are epithelial cells.
Epithelial cells line the airways and make mucus which lubricates and protects the lung.
The lung also contains nerve cells, hormone-producing cells, blood cells, and structural or supporting cells.
About lung cancer
Lung cancer begins when cells in the lung change and grow uncontrollably forming a mass called a tumor, a lesion or a nodule.
A lung tumor can begin anywhere in the lung.
A tumor can be cancerous or benign.
Once a cancerous lung tumor grows, it may or may not shed cancer cells.
These cells can be carried away in blood or float away in the fluid called lymph that surrounds lung tissue.
Lymph flows through tubes called lymphatic vessels that drain into collecting stations called lymph glands, the tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection.
Lymph nodes are located in the lungs, the center of the chest, and elsewhere in the body.
The natural flow of lymph out of the lungs is toward the center of the chest which explains why lung cancer often spreads there first.
When a cancer cell moves into a lymph node or to a distant part of the body through