Lung cancer is one of the most common form of cancer worldwide. Symptoms of developing lung cancer can be chronic cough, blood in sputum, change in voice , weight loss or distant symptoms like bone pain or seizure etc. The most common cause of lung cancer is smoking.
In India apart from cigarette smoking other forms of smoking like bidi , hukka, chewing tobacco in various forms is part of culture.
Cigarette smoking is increasing in younger age . Risk of lung cancer is up to 30 times higher in long term smokers compared with lifetime non smoker.
Smoking cessation decreases risk of lung cancer. Lung cancer chances decrease by 25 to 90% by abstinence of more than 15 years. The risk nevertheless is more than a non smoker. Adults who quit smoking on a long term basis can gain 5-10 years of life.
If cessation is not possible even a reduction of smoking also helps in reducing the number of cigarettes to half decrease the chance of lung cancer by 25%. Surprisingly up to 20% of lung cancer can happen in non/never smokers.
The primary reasons are:
1) Passive Smoking : Relatives and close associates of a smoker who inhale smoke exhaled by the smoker or room smoke are at increased of lung cancer esp. people who have inhaled passive smoke on long term basis like children, this form of exposure is called as second hand smoke.
2) Environmental pollution: WHO (World Health Organization) has labeled pollution especially the vehicular exhaust and industrial emission as carcinogen. That means people living in polluted cities are constantly exposed to cancerous agents- there is no escape.
3) Asbestos : Asbestos means a highly heat-resistant fibrous silicate mineral that can be woven into fabrics, and is used in brake linings and in fire-resistant and insulating materials. It’s exposure leads to lung cancer. It is used in industry (textile shipping, insulation, construction). The workers of such industry are at increased risk of developing lung cancer. This product is banned in various countries but asbestos industry continues to thrive in India.
4) Radon exposure: This colorless and invisible gas is naturally occurring in nature. It has a tendency to accumulate in the basements of buildings. Those working for long hours
in poorly ventilated buildings situated in radon rich geographical areas are at a high risk of cancer.
5) Chulha cooking: This a common form of cooking especially in Indian villages. Long term exposure to chulha cooking in enclosed spaces predisposes a person to lung cancer.
6) Genetic factors: Heredity plays an important role in predisposing a person to lung cancer.
So, we all reduce the risks of lung cancer by maintaining a healthy lifestyle that can help us mitigate some of the above factors.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. In men, prostate cancer is more common, while in women breast cancer is more common.
ReplyDeleteThnak u manali for reading our blog
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DeleteAwesomm Article.
ReplyDeleteThanks Akash
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DeleteMy father was diagnosed with lung cancer 2 years back. He was addicted to smoking. The entire family tried very hard for years to make him get rid of this bad habit. He was also willing himself to stop smoking. He also tried nicotine gums and all to satisfy tobacco cravings but it did not worked for long. My father’s breathing problems were increasing and it gave us a sign that something big and bad was going to happen to him. He used to cough so bad all the time that too with traces of blood. His voice also changed and became little rough. He wouldn’t eat properly and started looking so weak. We consulted Dr Vikas Goswami. He did some tests that confirmed that my dad had lung cancer. It took us some time to really cope with the shock but then we knew that right treatment can make him normal again. We followed Dr Vikas’s instructions throughout. I think 6 months in the beginning were the most difficult but later we started seeing a lot of improvement in my father’s condition. He hasn’t recovered properly yet and the treatment is still going on...but he already feels a lot better…
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