Lung cancer is often diagnosed late: know the signs and symptoms (2023)

Although it is well documented that smoking kills, over 30 million people in the United States still smoke. It is one of the leading causes of death, but also one of the most preventable. HimCenters for Disease Control and Preventionstates: “Tobacco kills more than 480,000 Americans each year. Tobacco use cost the United States more than $600 billion in 2018, including more than $240 billion in healthcare costs and nearly $372 billion in lost productivity.”

It is estimated that 238,340 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed this year (117,550 in men and 120,790 in women).American Cancer Societyand over 123,000 people will die. The ACS states, “Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for approximately 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths. Each year, more people die from lung cancer than from breast, colon, breast and prostate cancer combined.

The biggest risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. HimCenters for Disease Control and Preventionsays: “In the United States, smoking is associated with approximately 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths. The consumption of other tobacco products, such as cigars or pipes, also increases the risk of lung cancer toxic mixture of over 7,000 chemicals. Many of these are poisons. At least 70 are known to cause cancer in humans or animals.” Even if you don't smoke a lot and light a pack a day, you're still at risk. According to the CDC, “People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to develop or die from lung cancer than people who don’t smoke. Even smoking a few cigarettes a day, or smoking occasionally, increases the risk of lung cancer. The more years a person smokes and the more cigarettes they smoke a day, the greater the risk."

Jyoti Malhotra, M.D., M.P.H, ist Direktor der Thoracic Medical Oncology amOrange City of Hope CountyThe Lennar Foundation Cancer Center in Irvine, California tells us: “As a lung cancer specialist, every day I see patients living with lung cancer that is not defined by it. Precision medicine, the combination of molecular testing and targeted drugs, has been a game changer in our efforts to fight this aggressive form of cancer. We have made monumental advances in immunotherapy that alone or in combination with conventional therapies can lead to better patient outcomes. This is good news for people with lung cancer. There are two main types of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell lung cancer Most types of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer, which is less aggressive than small cell cancer.

HimMayo Clinicsays: “Lung cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the lungs. Your lungs are two spongy organs in your chest that take in oxygen when you breathe in and release carbon dioxide when you breathe out. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer worldwide.

Doctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is full of carcinogens (carcinogens), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately. First, your body can repair this damage. But with each repeated exposure, the normal cells that line the lungs become more and more damaged. Over time, the damage causes the cells to act abnormally and eventually cancer can develop.

Doctor Malhotra explains: “While many cases of lung cancer can be attributed to smoking, any lung cancer can get this disease and we are seeing a growing number of patients who have never smoked. In addition to tobacco use, “the disease can be caused by, for example, inhalation of secondhand smoke, exposure to substances such as radon, and a family history of lung cancer. It's important to know the facts and seek help early."

Manuel Villa SanchezStaten Island University Hospital's Chief of Thoracic Surgery adds, "It's more common in smokers, but non-smokers can get it because known risk factors include: tobacco smoke, secondhand smoke, radon exposure, asbestos exposure, personal exposure, or family history of lung cancer."

HimCenters for Disease Control and Preventionstates: “Adults who do not smoke and are exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30%. Passive smoking causes more than 7,300 lung cancer deaths among non-smoking adults in the United States each year.

Another myth is that only older people get lung cancer, but loudlyMedicine John HopkinsThat's not true.” The median age of a lung cancer patient in the United States is 70 years. However, about 30,000 people under the age of 50 are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and about 21,000 of them die at risk. The development of lung cancer at an early age may be partly determined by factors such as radiotherapy for childhood cancer or a genetic predisposition to lung cancer ."

Doctor Malhotra shares, "Signs to look out for include coughing, which may be accompanied by red-tinged blood or mucus (hemoptysis), chest pain or pain when breathing, shortness of breath or shortness of breath, and tiredness or an unusual feeling of weakness. See a doctor." if you have these symptoms. The earlier lung cancer is detected, the better your chances of success.”

according to dr Sánchez: “Lung cancer is asymptomatic most of the time as it is usually detected in advanced stages with symptoms such as difficulty breathing, bloody sputum, chest pain and others. Low-dose CT screening (LDCT) programs in patients at risk have shown benefits in early detection and treatment with survival benefits."

The doctor. Malhotra says: “The bottom line is that we don't always get lung cancer in its early stages. This is mainly because the lungs are internal organs and it is difficult to tell if cancer has formed. Sometimes people don't have any symptoms until the cancer is advanced. Additionally, lung tumors often quickly spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body, including the brain, liver, and bones.

It is difficult to detect lung cancer in its early stages because symptoms may not appear until the tumor grows. In addition, fear of being diagnosed with cancer is widespread, leading people to procrastinate on a doctor's appointment or exam. The good news is that we can better diagnose lung cancer much earlier than ever before. A low-dose CT scan is a quick, painless, non-invasive approach to lung cancer screening. We know that only a small percentage of people who qualify for lung cancer screening get it. Early detection is key to surviving lung cancer."

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Doctor Malhotra suggests: “If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, make an appointment with oneNational Cancer Institute-Designated cancer center where experts specializing in lung cancer can help you access the latest therapies. There is new hope for people living with this disease, and it starts with getting the right diagnosis and treatment plan for you from the start.”

The doctor. Sánchez explains, “There are two main types of lung cancer: NSCLC non-small cell lung cancer (80-85%) and SCLC small cell lung cancer (10-15%). At SIUH, we fight lung cancer with a multidisciplinary team of specialists in thoracic surgery, medical oncology, radiological oncology, pulmonology, interventional radiology and diagnostics, a program focused on the early detection and treatment of lung cancer for the local Staten Island community.

The cornerstone of lung cancer treatment is surgical resection. At SIUH, we have the resources and technology to provide state-of-the-art treatment. We perform minimally invasive robotic surgeries on our lung cancer patients, which are associated with less postoperative pain, faster recovery and discharge from the hospital, and excellent oncological outcomes. The role of medical oncology is to treat lung cancer patients with standard chemotherapy as well as immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Radiation oncology intervenes with standard radiation therapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as standalone treatments or as part of a multimodal therapy. Interventional radiology offers radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as another therapy that has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of lung cancer."