Lung Cancer

What is Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer, in which smoking is one of the main factors, ranks first in cancer-related deaths. However, when caught at an early stage, the chances of treating the disease increase.

Lung cancer begins when cells from structurally normal lung tissue multiply out of need and control, forming a mass (tumor) in the lung. The mass formed here primarily grows in the environment in which it is located, and at more advanced stages it spreads to the surrounding tissues or to distant organs (liver, bone, brain, etc.) through the circulation, causing damage.

Lung cancer is a fairly common cancer. It accounts for 12-16% of all cancers and 17-28% of cancer-related deaths. Moreover, it ranks first in cancer-related deaths in both men and women.

How is Lung Cancer Diagnosed?

Many methods are used for diagnosis. Since this cancer rarely gives symptoms before spreading to lymph nodes or other organs in nearby areas, only up to 15% of patients can be diagnosed at an early stage. Early diagnosis, most often by chance, occurs during examinations due to another disease.

Currently, some methods used in the diagnosis of lung cancer are as follows:

Radi Sag examination in addition to radiological examinations (Lung X October, Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, PET/CT) sputum sample examination,
Endoscopic evaluation of the bronchi (bronchoscopy),
Bronchoscopic or chest wall biopsy,
Mediastinoscopy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for the evaluation of lymph nodes in the mediastinum.

In patients who are admitted to a doctor for complaints or for other reasons, such as general health screening, a biopsy procedure is planned by determining how to approach the masses detected as a result of CT using lung X-ray, which can be taken according to the findings obtained as a result of the examination, or as part of the scan.

A bronchoscopy is performed on the patient and a lung biopsy is performed. Bronscopy; the lung is reached with a thin bendable tube and the part is taken with a needle.

The diagnosis of cancer is finalized as a result of the pathological examination of this biopsy sample. After the diagnosis of cancer, methods such as PET/CT can be used to determine the prevalence of the disease Sa.

How Is Lung Cancer Treated?

The most important factors in determining the treatment of lung cancer are the type and stage of cancer. In suitable patients, the lung or lung section where the cancer is located can be removed by surgical methods. Chemotherapy can be applied in patients who are not considered suitable for surgery.

In addition, new treatments such as smart drugs and immunotherapy are also among some new treatment methods that can be used if cancer cells have certain characteristics. Dec.