Lung cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the lungs. The most common type of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for about 80% of all cases. NSCLC is divided into three subtypes: adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) makes up the remaining 20% of cases.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States, accounting for about 27% of all cancer deaths. In 2015, an estimated 221,200 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 158,040 will die from the disease. The majority of lung cancers are diagnosed in people who are 65 years or older. However, the number of new cases among young adults has been increasing over the past few decades due to increases in smoking rates among this age group.
There are several risk factors for developing lung cancer, including smoking tobacco, exposure to secondhand smoke, radon gas exposure, asbestos exposure, and family history. People who have certain medical conditions such as COPD or emphysema are also at increased risk. Lung cancers can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body and are usually not life-threatening. Malignant tumors can spread to other parts of the body and are often fatal if left untreated.
Treatment for lung cancer depends on several factors including the stage of the disease, the patient’s overall health, and personal preferences. Treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Clinical trials testing new treatments are also an option for some patients with advanced disease. Surgery is often the primary treatment for early stage NSCLC while radiation therapy may be used for more advanced stages or when surgery is not possible due to other health concerns. Chemotherapy may be used alone or in combination with radiation therapy depending on tumor type and stage as well as patient preference/tolerance levels.. Targeted therapies work by targeting specific genes or proteins that are involved in tumor growth while immunotherapy helps boost a patient’s own immune system to fight off the tumor cells.. Clinical trials testing new drugs or combinations thereof offer hope for improved outcomes in patients with late stage disease who have few other treatment options available to them..