Lung Cancer: Are you at risk?

CEBU, Philippines - Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled abnormal growth of lung tissues. Lung cancer begins in the lungs and may spread to lymph nodes or other organs in the body, such as the brain. The spread of cancer from one organ to another is called metastasis.

Lung cancer is usually grouped into two main types – small cell and non-small cell. Non-small cell lung cancer is more common than small cell lung cancer.

Diagnosing lung cancer is through medical history, smoking history, exposure to environmental and occupational substances, family history of lung cancer, physical examination, chest x-ray, and sputum cytology.

To confirm the presence of lung cancer, the doctor must examine a tissue from the lung through biopsy.

When lung cancer is diagnosed at its early stages, it can be cured. Even late-stage lung cancer can be treated.

Smoking

Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancer. Exposure to second-hand smoke and environmental exposures, such as radon and workplace toxins, also increase one's risk.

The earlier in life a person starts smoking, the more often a person smokes, and the more years a person smokes, the greater the risk of lung cancer. If a person has stopped smoking, the risk becomes lower as the years pass.

When smoking is combined with other risk factors such as second-hand smoke, asbestos and arsenic exposure, and air pollution, risk of lung cancer is increased. A family history of cancer can also be a risk factor for lung cancer.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), for up to six weeks after smokers quit, their brain cells have more nicotine-binding receptors than nonsmokers' cells do. Scientists speculate that the brain develops extra receptors to accommodate the large doses of nicotine from tobacco and that the resulting expanded receptor pool helps to contribute to craving and other discomforts of smoking withdrawal.

The World Health Organization estimates that a fourth of all types of cancers can be attributed to smoking. Tobacco is responsible for 71 percent of lung cancer deaths in the world. In the Philippines, lung cancer is the leading form of cancer and this is attributed to high smoking rates, particularly among men. The Philippines now stands as having the most number of smokers in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 17.3 million tobacco consumers.

According to the Philippine Cancer Society, there is a high significance of air pollution in lung cancer incidence in non-smokers.

According to DOH, a Filipino smoker puffs 1,073 cigarette sticks annually while other smokers in the Southeast Asian region consume less than a thousand sticks yearly. Ten Filipinos die every hour because of smoking, representing a clear picture of the extent of the tobacco epidemic in the country.

According to Mr. Ronald delos Reyes, program coordinator of the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), "the best way to prevent lung cancer is to live a healthy lifestyle and quit or never indulge in smoking."

EJACC's Metro Cebu Population-based Cancer Registry shows that from 1998 to 2002, 825 men and 360 women were found to have lung cancer, and 645 men and 270 women died of the disease. In the year 2003 to 2007, 830 men and 457 women were diagnosed from which 620 men and 336 women died.

If you are someone who smokes, think again; think about those you love and those who love you and the dangers of cigarette smoking. (FREEMAN)