Man’S Diseases: Lung Cancer

Man’s diseases: lung cancer

Introduction

The human being since ancient times has had to go through a series of conflicts to be able to adapt to the environment that surrounds it, one of these circumstances is diseases, man in his constant evolution has been forced to develop new defense mechanisms to thus protect from a series of viruses that undermine their health. However, in some cases the fight against these evils end with the death of the individual, neither all doctors nor the whole treatment of the world serve to win the war against these diseases.

In our essay we will talk about lung cancer its history and how it affects a person.

Developing

The lungs are the organs included in the respiratory system that are responsible for performing the respiratory function, that is, through the respiratory tract supplies oxygen to the body and expel the carbon dioxide, a waste product produced by the body cells.

Lung cancer occurs when there is an exaggerated growth of malignant cells in this organ. If the lungs are not diagnosed in time, the metastasis of time can occur, in these cases the cancer cells move towards other organs of the body.

It is the most frequent cause of cancer death both in men and women.

This cancer is one of the most common in the world. It is the main cause of cancer death between men and women in the United States. Smoking cigarettes causes most lung cancers. The greater the amount of cigarettes a day than to smoke and the younger it starts smoking, the more the risk of developing a lung cancer will be.

Exposure to high levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos can also increase risk.

Causes

The reasons that can cause the appearance of cancer are:

• Tobacco: It is the main cause. The tobacco smoke, with its high concentration of carcinogens, will stop directly in the air and is inhaled by both smokers and non -smokers.

Quitting smoking significantly reduces the risk of developing this pathology as well as contracting other disease -related diseases, such as heart disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

• Effects of the radon: the radon is a radioactive gas that is in the rocks and on the ground of the earth and that is formed by the natural decomposition of the radius. Being invisible and toilet, the only way to determine if one is exposed to gas is to measure its levels. In addition, exposure to radon combined with cigarette significantly increases the risk of lung cancer. Therefore, for smokers, radon exposure is an even greater risk.
• Exposure to carcinogens: asbestos is perhaps the best known of industrial substances related to lung cancer, but there are many others such as uranium, arsenic, certain products derived from oil, etc.
• Genetic predisposition: It is known that cancer can be caused by mutations (changes) of DNA, which activate oncogenes or cause tumor suppressor genes to remain inactive. Some people inherit DNA mutations from their parents, which greatly increases the risk of cancer.
• Agents causing work at work: among people at risk are miners who have the possibility of inhaling radioactive minerals, such as uranium, and workers exposed to chemicals such as arsenic, vinyl chloride, nickel chromats, nickel chromates, the products derived from coal, mustard gas and chlorometry Éteres.
• Marijuana: marijuana cigarettes contain more tar than tobacco. Likewise, smoke is deeply inhaled and retained in the lungs for a long time.
• Recurrent inflammation: tuberculosis and some types of pneumonia often leave scars in the lung. These scars increase the risk that the person develops the type of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma.
• Talc dust: Some studies carried out in Miners and Talc Minders suggest that they have a greater risk of developing such disease due to exposure to talc of industrial quality. This dust, in its natural form, can contain asbestos.
• Other types of exposure to minerals: people with silicosis and belliosis (lung diseases caused by inhalation of certain minerals) also have a greater risk of lung cancer.
• Excess or deficiency of vitamin A: People who do not receive enough vitamin at a greater risk of developing lung cancer. On the other hand, taking too much vitamin A can also increase the risk.
• Air pollution: In some cities, air pollution can slightly increase the risk of lung cancer. This possibility is much less than the one that causes the smoking habit.

Symptoms

According to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), people who have lung cancer usually present most of the time the same symptoms (although not always) or symptoms similar to other diseases that are not mortal.

These manifestations are:

• Fatigue.
• Loss of appetite.
• Dry cough or phlegm.
• Tos with blood in the sputum.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Pain.

In some cases, patients do not have symptoms and cancer is usually detected by radiography in the lungs that are performed for other reasons. However, most diagnoses occur when the tumor grows and begins to interfere with the organs and structures close to the lungs.

From the SEOM they point out that lung tumors can generate liquids that accumulate in the lung or around it causing its collapse.

If the tumor presents metastases, patients can develop other symptoms in the lungs, bones, lymph nodes, brain, liver and/or adrenal glands that hinder the proper functioning of them.

Prevention

Between 80 and 90 percent of lung cancers develop in smokers or in people who have quit smoking. For this reason, the best way to prevent the appearance of the disease is to quit smoking.

The risk of having a exfusian lung cancer is equal to that of a non -smoker when approximately 15 years have elapsed.

Asbestos fibers, hair -like crystals that are produced in many rocks and that are used as an insulator or as a fireproof construction material, they can irritate the lungs. In fact, smokers who are exposed to asbestos (brake repair, insulation or naval construction, for example) have more risk of lung cancer. Using breathing protective equipment can reduce that risk.

Types

According to the appearance of the cells when examined through the microscope, lung cancers can be divided into two types:

Non -small cell lung cancer: this type is developed in smokers, former smokers, passive smokers or people who have been exposed to the radon.

The main types of non -small cell lung cancer receive their name depending on the type of cells found in cancer: carcinoma, adenocarcinomas, large cell carcinom.

Small cell lung cancer: it only develops in smokers and former smokers.

Prevention

To prevent lung cancer, some of these points must be taken into account:

• Do not smoke. If you never smoked, you don’t start doing it. Talk to your children about what it means not smoking, they can understand how to avoid this important risk factor of lung cancer. Start in advance conversations with your children about the dangers of the cigarette, so that they know how to react to group pressure.
• Stop smoking. Stop smoking now. Doing Does the risk of lung cancer decrease, even if you have smoked for years.
• Avoid second -hand smoke. If you live or work with a smoker, he insists that he stop smoking. Or at least, ask him to smoke. Avoid the places where it is smoked, such as bars and restaurants, and tries to find cigarette smoke output options.
• Make a radon analysis at your home. Check the radon level at home, especially if you live in an area where it is known that there are problems with the radon.
• Exercise most of the week. If you do not exercise regularly, start little by little, try to do it every day.
• Follow a diet with many fruits and vegetables. Choose a healthy diet with variety of fruits and vegetables.

Conclusions

In conclusion we can say that lung cancer is one of the main deaths worldwide, it is a disease that does not know gender or ages, in many cases we can prevent it, acting in a conscious way we can reduce this evil. We must choose to lead a healthier life, away from the vices that are harmful to both our physical and emotional integrity.