Symptoms of Lung Cancer

1. Prolonged cough or hemoptysis
2. Unusual swelling of neck and face
3. Chronic chest, back, and shoulder pain
4. Acute short breath, wheezing, or hoarseness
5. Recurrent lung and bronchi infections
6. Loss of appetite or body weight
7. Fatigue easily and malaise

Risk Factors

1. Cigarette smoking
2. Cigar or pipe smoking
3. Passive smoking
4.  Work place: Working within the environment of chromium, nickel, oil dump, and asbestos
5. Females tend to have poor metabolism, higher deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) impairment rate, and inhaling toxins easily. Other factors include long-term radon inhalation, often deposited within certain buildings, and some other pulmonary diseases such as old scar of the tuberculosis

Therapy

Lung cancer therapy rest with cell types, stages, and functional performance from patients.

1. Surgery: Surgeon often adopts surgical procedure as the treatment option for early lung cancer.
2. Chemotherapy: If lung cancer has transferred to other body parts via blood or lymph, doctors often adopt chemotherapy for systemic treatment. Some medication is injected through veins while others are taken orally; yet another means is to install a small catheter in vena cava for long-term chemo treatment.
3. Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, adopts high-energy radiation to kill cancels; it also relieves local symptoms like breathing difficulties and pain. Since every patient’s condition is different, he/she and his/her family members should communicate with the doctor to come up with the best proper treatment means.

After knowing your own condition, consult your physician for the answers of the following questions:

1. What is the recommended or proper treatment for my condition?
2. Should I be admitted to the hospital for the therapy, and how long does it take?
3. What kind of clinical trials is suitable for my condition?
4. How much will it have effect on my normal routines during the therapy?