What is Lung Cancer?
Lung cancer is a degenerative disease which occurs within the lungs and can quickly spread to other parts of the body.
Lung cancer commonly occurs in the lungs of smokers, but second-hand smoke and other risk factors can also contribute to its development.
Symptoms of lung cancer such as a chronic cough can be diagnosed with a lung test or respiratory test. Lung cancer is normally treated with a mix of traditional cancer therapies and positive lifestyle changes.
Lung cancer is diagnosed when cells within your lungs become malignant and grow in uncontrolled and destructive ways. There are two main types of lung cancer:
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) – This category accounts for about 80% of all lung cancer cases and can be split into three sub-types:
- Adenocarcinoma – This is the most common form of lung cancer and is usually found in the peripheral lung. It is normally present in the lungs of smokers however it can occur in non-smokers.
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma – Often occurs in the large bronchi and spreads to the lymph nodes in its early phases. This is the most commonly presenting type of lung cancer for non-smokers.
- Large Cell Undifferentiated Lung Cancer – This form presents in the large cells and does not belong to either of the other two groups.
- Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) – This is an aggressive form of lung cancer which usually occurs in the mid lung (also known as the bronchi) and spreads quickly. It is much less common than NSCLC.