Lung Disorders: Lung Cancer

Introduction

Lung disorders are termed to be the most popular medical condition globally. For instance, a recent study in the United States recorded that many people suffer from lung diseases. Lungs are part of the body’s complex system that experiences relaxation and expansion a thousand times a day to bring in oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide. Lung disorders occur in the case when the respiratory system experiences problems. Therefore, lung disorders or diseases are those complications that hinder the lungs from practical function. These complications affect either the lung tissues, airwaves, or blood circulation in and out of the lungs. The essay explains lung cancer, a common lung disorder, the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment approaches.

The History of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is considered a global pandemic in public health in the present world. The disease was initially rare. The relationship between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer began to be suspected by doctors earlier because the disease was spreading faster. In 1930, it was noted that the swelling of the lungs was increasing at a faster rate and more so after the Second World War. It was recorded that while the condition mainly caused the swelling of lungs in men, it has started affecting women. Individuals only survived for two years from the time the disease was discovered, and almost all cases of lung growth had a history of chronic bronchitis.

The rapid increase of mysterious diseases resulted from various causes. According to the Springer Handbook of Special Pathology, various etiologic factors speeded the spread of the disease. The rise in air pollution emerging from dust and gases, increased traffic inroads, the exposure to gas through the Second World War, working with benzene, and the emergence of an influenza pandemic in 1918 were significant reasons for the spread. However, countries with fewer automobiles, fewer roads, and fewer workers exposed to benzene recorded the same rate as those with many cars. Smoking was another cause of the condition, although many studies failed to discover the relationship between smoking and lung cancer. However, some suspicion arose, and a German doctor, Fritz Lickint, wrote a book in 1929 that showed that most lung cancer patients were smokers. Therefore, the doctor went on a crusade to discourage smoking, thus avoiding spreading tobacco in Germany.

Doctors began to suspect between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer in the 1930s because of the increased spread of the unusual disorder. In 1940, an article published showed that lung cancer was the second cause of death after stomach cancer. Evidence by Doll and his colleagues in 1950 indicated that there existed a relationship between lung cancer and smoking.

The Second World War popularised the smoking of cigarettes. Soldiers smoked to relieve stress, and so as the civilians. Later in 1964, public awareness to recognize smoking as a health hazard arose, flattening the spread of lung cancer (Cheng et al., 2018). Therefore all evidence associates smoking as the significant reason for lung cancer. It is estimated that a large number of people with lung cancer in the United States smoke cigarettes.

Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention of Lung Cancer

Lung disease is a disorder whereby cells within the lungs develop abnormally, thus gradually growing swellings. As growth increases, lungs fail to perform their function effectively, and eventually, cancerous cells spread to different sections of the body. According to the mayo clinic, lung cancer is recognized as the primary reason for death. Lung cancer can develop for a while without showing any symptoms. The emergence of symptoms is, however, termed to be a result of various conditions. For instance, a nagging cough is associated with lung cancer although related to other lung disorders. Other symptoms of lung cancer include blood in cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, and abnormal loss of weight. People at the danger of getting lung cancer have a family account of cancer and are highly vulnerable to dangerous chemicals through inhalation.

The first symptom common symptom of lung cancer is cough. It is evident that if someone with complications of chronic bronchitis develops cancer, coughing becomes worse. In the cases when cancer grows in the chest wall, the patient experiences chest pain. Additionally, lung cancer also leads to pneumonia, with various symptoms including chest pain, loss of breath and cough. People with chronic lung cancer experience loss of appetite, weight, and general body weakness. When lung cancer affects other parts of the body, including the brain, liver and bones, the patients experience pain in the respective regions (de Groot et al., 2018). Additionally, when cancerous cells spread and press the lungs, the lungs collapse.

Smoking is the leading causing agent of lung cancer. Increased rate and frequency of smoking, therefore, increase the chances of contracting lung cancer. Quitting smoking before the development of cancer cells repairs the damaged tissue. Additionally, living in an environment with exposure to radioactivity and air pollution increases the chances of getting lung cancer ((Liszewski & Lee, 2018). Research has aided in knowing how radioactivity and air pollution produces changes in the lungs DNA.

Treating lung cancer depends on the severity and type of lung cancer. Doctors mainly involve developing plans to perform surgeries meant to remove the affected areas of the lung through chemotherapy and radiation. Additionally, lung cancer is treated through specific medication that limits the development and spread of cancerous cells. In conclusion, to limit the chances of chronic lung disorders, there are essential tips to consider in protecting the lungs. Practices such as avoiding smoking, limiting exposure to pollutants, eating a balanced diet, visiting the doctor for regular check-ups, and washing hands increase the chances of avoiding lung disorders. Therefore, with the severity of lung cancer, the condition can be managed through surgeries, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, or combining the three approaches.

References

Cheng, X., Onaitis, M. W., D’amico, T. A., & Chen, H. (2018). Minimally invasive thoracic surgery 3.0: lessons learned from the history of lung cancer surgery. Annals of Surgery, 267(1), 37-38.

de Groot, P. M., Wu, C. C., Carter, B. W., & Munden, R. F. (2018). The epidemiology of lung cancer. Translational lung cancer research, 7(3), 220.

Huang, C. Y., Ju, D. T., Chang, C. F., Reddy, P. M., & Velmurugan, B. K. (2017). A review on the effects of current chemotherapy drugs and natural agents in treating non–small cell lung cancer. Biomedicine, 7(4).

Liszewski, M. C., & Lee, E. Y. (2018). Neonatal lung disorders: pattern recognition approach to diagnosis. American Journal of Roentgenology, 210(5), 964-975.