The diagnosis of lung cancer is most often diagnosed in men over 60 years of age. Women get sick 7-10 times less often, but this does not mean that there are no risks. The disease is developing rapidly, therefore, in order to increase the chances of recovery, it is important to start treatment on time.
This form of cancer is more common than other types of cancer, so you need to be on the lookout. The editors of estet-portal.com have compiled a list of typical causes of lung cancer and suggest methods that will help prevent the disease.
Features of the development of the disease and methods of diagnosis
Cancer develops rapidly. Sometimes a person literally burns out in a matter of months, so it is important to make the correct diagnosis in the early stages. There are four of them:
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• Stage 1. When diagnosing, a tumor no larger than 3 cm is visible on the x-ray, which has not yet affected the lymph nodes and has not metastasized.
• Stage 2. At this stage, the tumor can already reach 6 cm or more. Lung tissue thickens, lymph nodes may be affected.
• 3 stage. The tumor grows to a large size (more than 6 cm), seriously affects the bronchi, diaphragm, lymph nodes, and can metastasize.
• stage 4. This is the stage at which the size of the neoplasm no longer matters much, since it affects other vital organs (gastrointestinal tract, heart), gives metastases.
The most popular way to diagnose lung cancer – radiograph. It is desirable to do it regularly so as not to miss the onset of the disease. But this method has drawbacks: it can be ineffective if the neoplasm is atypically located or too small, so if there is reason for concern, it is worth doing a CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging. To clarify the diagnosis, endoscopic bronchography and biopsy are also done.
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Most common causes of lung cancer
The most important risk factor – this is the inhalation of carcinogens, but there are other causes of lung cancer. Most common:
• Active smoking. The vast majority of patients – smokers. In 90%, it is this bad habit that leads to oncology. In many ways, the development of the disease is associated with the number of cigarettes smoked daily and smoking experience.
• Inhalation of tobacco smoke. Doctors never tire of reminding us that cigarettes contain a huge amount of toxic substances. They poison not only smokers, but also those who are nearby. So, if a person does not smoke himself, but often inhales tobacco smoke, then the risk of lung cancer is 30% higher than that of someone who rarely encounters cigarette smoke.
• Polluted atmosphere. Lung cancer is 3-4 times more likely to affect people living in industrial cities than those living in ecologically clean settlements.
• Contact with harmful substances. Especially often the disease develops in people who deal with asbestos. Radon, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel, chloromethyl ether are also dangerous.
• High doses of radiation. Among the patients of oncologists, there are many people who have been exposed to radioactive irradiation.
• Chronic diseases. The risk of developing lung cancer is higher in people who have suffered from other lung diseases for a long time, for example, bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis.
• Heredity. Genetic predisposition has a huge impact on the occurrence of cancer. If blood relatives had lung cancer, you should be more careful about your health.
The impact of these risk factors is enormous and can be exacerbated if a person is deficient in vitamins and antioxidants. Therefore, a diet poor in vegetables and fruits can enhance the effect of other negative factors.
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Is it possible to reduce the risks and how to do it
Since the main causes of lung cancer are related to the inhalation of toxins, an obvious preventive measure – to give up smoking. This will not only save you from cancer, but also help you become healthier in general. Substances that make up tobacco smoke affect all organs and systems, poison every cell of the body. So there are many additional benefits to be gained by quitting smoking.
There are other preventive methods:
• Avoidance of smoky rooms. They contain a high concentration of harmful substances, so it is better not to stay here. If there are smokers in the house, care should be taken to ensure that they smoke outside the rooms, ideally – outdoors.
• Refusal to work at hazardous enterprises. Surcharges «for harmfulness» never compensate for lost health, so you should not perform duties that involve contact with carcinogens.
• Breathing exercises. Any training aimed at developing the lungs will benefit. Excellent techniques – pranayama, breath holding exercises.
• Proper diet. The body can handle the elimination of toxins if it has enough strength to do so. To reduce the risk of cancer, it is worth including more fresh vegetables and fruits in the diet.
• Timely treatment. Chronic diseases should not be allowed. Take care of your health and do not ignore the recommendations of doctors. Diseases should be cured completely so that they do not become chronic.
• Regular medical examinations. A timely x-ray can save a life.
Walking in the fresh air helps reduce the impact of harmful factors, so you should walk as often as possible, get out into nature, go to the sea. This is especially important for residents of large industrial cities.
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Highlights on the causes of lung cancer and methods to reduce risks
Lung cancer – a terrible disease that claims a huge number of lives. 87% of patients who do not receive proper treatment die within 2 years. Those who have cancer detected in the early stages and treated comprehensively survive in 70% of cases.
Therefore, you should pay attention to your health:
• Quit smoking and avoid smoky areas. Smokers die early and painfully.
• Avoid contact with poisons. Asbestos, arsenic, radon, chromium, nickel are especially dangerous.
• Healthy diet. This will increase your disease resistance.
• Get regular check-ups. This should be done at least 1-2 times a year. Lung examination – required.
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Reducing the risk of lung cancer is much easier than curing the disease later. Do not neglect preventive measures.
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