Public Service Announcement                                             

(PSA)

By Robbie & Zach

 Lung Cancer is a malignant tumour of the lungs. Lung Cancer is the most lethal malignant worldwide, causing 3 millions deaths yearly. The most important risk for lung cancer is smoking. Smoking is the number ONE cause of Lung Caner in the world.

Symptoms

The symptoms of Lung Cancer are as followed.

1. dyspnea (shortness of breath)

2. hemoptysis (coughing up blood)

3. chronic cough

4. wheezing

5. chest pain

6. cachexia (Weight loss)

7. dysponia (horarse voice)

If the cancer grows into the lumen (breathing way) it can make breathing difficult and can cause pneumonia. Lung cancer has a rich blood supply. If the surface of the cancer is fragile, the blood can be caughed up.

Diagnosis

A chest x-ray is the first step in seeing if you have lung cancer. It may reveal a huge mass, and infection will be obvious. If it confirms lung cancer, another test call the PET (positron emission tomography) will tell if it is beyond surgery to remove.

Types of Lung Cancer

There are 2 major types of lung cancer:

1. Non-small cell lung cancer- starts in the larger breathing tubes and grows slower, meaning the size of the tumours will vary more than Small cell lung cancer

2. Small cell lung cancer- this is the less common of the lung cancer, it usually starts in the large breathing tubes and grows fast and becomes a very large tumour.

              Causes of Lung Cancer                             

1. smoking     

2. radiation exposure

3. genetic susceptibility                                        

4. viral infection                               

5. cancer in general                                                              

Smoking is believed to be the main cause of lung cancer, 80% of lung cancer results in smoking in the past and/or present. It is probably the easiest disease to prevent.

Treatment

Treatment for any kind of cancer depends of how far along it has grown, your age and your physical health.

Common treatments

1. Surgery

2. Chemotherarapy

3. Radiotherapy

4. Interventional Radiology

Prevention

Smoking is the key of preventing lung cancer. Some states have banned smoking in restaurants and workplaces, California was the first in the United States.