The only sure way to know if lung cancer is present is for a pathologist to check samples of cells or tissue. The pathologist studies the sample under a microscope and performs other tests. There are many ways to collect samples.
Your doctor may order one or more of the following tests to collect samples to be analyzed for cancer cells:
Sputum cytology. Thick fluid (sputum) is coughed up from the lungs.
Thoracentesis. The doctor removes fluid (pleural fluid) from the chest.
Bronchoscopy. The doctor inserts a thin, lighted tube (a bronchoscope) through the nose or mouth into the lung.
- This allows an exam of the lungs and the air passages that lead to them.
- The doctor may take a sample of cells with a needle, brush, or other tool.
- The doctor also may wash the area with water to collect cells in the water.
Fine-needle aspiration. The doctor uses a thin needle to remove tissue or fluid from the lung or lymph node.
- Sometimes a CT scan or other imaging method is used to guide the needle to the lung tumor or lymph node.
Thoracoscopy. The surgeon makes several small incisions in your chest and back.
- The surgeon looks at the lungs and nearby tissues with a thin, lighted tube.
- If an abnormal area is seen, a biopsy to check for cancer cells may be needed.
Thoracotomy. The surgeon opens the chest to remove lymph nodes and other tissue.
Mediastinoscopy. The surgeon makes an incision at the top of the breastbone.
- A thin, lighted tube is used to see inside the chest.
- The surgeon may take tissue and lymph node samples.
Early lung cancer often does not cause symptoms. But as the cancer grows, common symptoms may include:
- a cough that gets worse or does not go away
- breathing trouble, such as shortness of breath
- constant chest pain
- coughing up blood
- a hoarse voice
- frequent lung infections, such as pneumonia
- feeling very tired all the time
- weight loss with no known cause
Most often these symptoms are not due to cancer. Other health problems can cause some of these symptoms. Anyone with such symptoms, though, should see a doctor to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Life after being diagnosed with cancer will be different for everyone. Some people will have minimal disease and it will be a short chapter of their lives, while others will have a diagnosis that will change the course of the rest of their lives. Cancer diagnoses can change relationships, your routines, your work and home life. One thing is certain, no one person’s experience will be exactly the same. There are however, plenty of resources to learn about what life was like for other people, and what they did to achieve balance, maintain their health and personal life, keep peace of mind, and enjoy their lives with or after cancer.
Your experience with cancer will depend on the type of cancer you have, your choices of treatment and the lifestyle you lead. Be sure to speak with your Doctor about the side effects of your disease and the treatments you choose. Your Doctor will be able to consult with you on realistic lifestyle expectations.
Doctors simply don’t know why one person gets lung cancer and another does not. It is known, however, that certain risk factors can increase a person’s chances of developing lung cancer. A risk factor is something that may increase the chance of developing a disease.
Here are the most common risk factors for lung cancer:
- Tobacco smoke. Tobacco smoke causes most cases of lung cancer.
- Radon. Radon is a radioactive gas that you cannot see, smell or taste.
- Asbestos and other substances. People who have certain jobs (such as those who work in the construction and chemical industries) have an increased risk of lung cancer.
- Air pollution. Air pollution may slightly increase the risk of lung cancer.
- Family history of lung cancer. People with a father, mother, brother or sister who has had lung cancer may be at slightly increased risk of the disease, even if they don’t smoke.
- Personal history of lung cancer. People who have had lung cancer are at increased risk of developing a second lung tumor.
- Age over 65. Most people are older than 65 years when diagnosed with lung cancer.
- No risk factors. There is an increasing trend in lung cancer is being seen in people who have never smoked – so-called “never smokers.”
Every cancer diagnosis is different, just as every person who is diagnosed with cancer is different. Cancer knows no barriers to race, age, or social group. However there is one thing that each and every person who is diagnosed with cancer will have in common: help with fighting and beating the disease.
Life after being diagnosed with cancer will be different for everyone. Some people will have minimal disease and it will be a short chapter of their lives, while others will have a diagnosis that will change the course of the rest of their lives. Cancer diagnoses can change relationships, your routines, your work and home life. One thing is certain, no one person’s experience will be exactly the same. There are however, plenty of resources to learn about what life was like for other people, and what they did to achieve balance, maintain their health and personal life, keep peace of mind, and enjoy their lives with or after cancer.
Clinical Trials
The search for a cure for cancer is an ongoing, constant battle. Clinical trials are the basis upon which new treatments and medications are proven to help the fight against cancer, or if researchers should pursue another tactic. The advancement of medicine depends on willing and able cancer patients to volunteer for experimental treatments so that future generations will have proven and effective cures. Not every patient with cancer will be eligible for a clinical trial, as the scientific method needs specific patients with specific types of cancers. However, patients who are selected for trials may benefit from being at the cutting edge of new research, and gain time they otherwise might not have had.
The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health has a comprehensive database of over 10,000 ongoing clinical trials that both help advance medicine and help patients.
Financial Help
Unfortunately, cancer treatment can be costly, even if a patient has very comprehensive health insurance. For patients who do not have health insurance, the cost of treatment may seem insurmountable. Fortunately many pharmaceutical companies offer cost assistance to help make treatment more affordable. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has compiled a Virtual Reimbursement Room where patients can find information for accessing financial help with their treatment costs.
Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer found in the United States. While tobacco smoking remains the primary cause of the disease, anyone can develop lung cancer – even people who have never smoked.
Your lungs are a pair of large organs in your chest. They are part of your respiratory system. Air enters your body through your nose or mouth. It passes through your windpipe (trachea), then through each bronchus before going into your lungs.
Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues. Tissues make up the organs of the body.
Normal, healthy cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When normal cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.
Sometimes, this orderly process goes wrong; new cells form when the body does not need them, and old or damaged cells do not die as they should. This build-up of extra cells often forms a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.
Tumor cells can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Benign tumor cells are usually not as harmful as malignant tumor cells.
Cancer cells spread by breaking away from the original tumor. They enter blood vessels or lymph vessels, which branch into all the tissues of the body. The cancer cells attach to other organs and form new tumors that may damage those organs. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Your doctor may refer you to a specialist who has experience treating lung cancer, or you may ask for a referral. You may also have a team of specialists caring for you.
Your healthcare team may include the following specialists who treat lung cancer:
- Thoracic (chest) surgeon
- Thoracic surgical oncologist
- Medical oncologists, a general cancer specialist who can prescribe chemotherapy
- Radiation oncologists, a specialist who designs and manages radiation therapy
Your team may also include a pulmonologist (a lung specialist), a respiratory therapist, an oncology nurse, and a registered dietitian.
Lung cancer is hard to control with current treatments. For that reason, many doctors encourage patients with this disease to consider taking part in a clinical trial. Clinical trials are an important option for people with all stages of lung cancer.
Surgery for lung cancer removes the tissue that contains the tumor. The surgeon also removes nearby lymph nodes.
- The surgeon removes part or all of the lung:
- A small part of the lung (wedge resection or segmentectomy). The surgeon removes the tumor and a small part of the lung.
- A lobe of the lung (lobectomy or sleeve lobectomy). The surgeon removes a lobe of the lung. This is the most common surgery for lung cancer.
- All of the lung (pneumonectomy). The surgeon removes the entire lung.
After lung surgery, air and fluid collect in the chest. A chest tube allows the fluid to drain. Also, a nurse or respiratory therapist will teach you coughing and breathing exercises. You’ll need to do the exercises several times a day.
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. It affects cells only in the treated area.
You may receive external radiation. This is the most common type of radiation therapy for lung cancer. The radiation comes from a large machine outside your body. Most people go to a hospital or clinic for treatment. Treatments are usually 5 days a week for several weeks.
Another type of radiation therapy is internal radiation (brachytherapy). Internal radiation is seldom used for people with lung cancer. The radiation comes from a seed, wire or another device put inside your body.
Chemotherapy uses anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells. The drugs enter the bloodstream and can affect cancer cells all over the body.
Usually, more than one drug is given. Anticancer drugs for lung cancer are usually given through a vein (intravenous), but some anticancer drugs can be taken by mouth.
Chemotherapy is given in cycles. You have a rest period after each treatment period. The length of the rest period and the number of cycles depend on the anticancer drugs used.
You may have your treatment in a clinic, at the doctor’s office, or at home. Some people may need to stay in the hospital for treatment.