Lung cancer – facts and myths

According to the American data, the detection of a change in the size of 1 cm and the implementation of the therapy within a month results in a cure in 93% of patients. patients. Unfortunately, in Poland, the total curability rate does not exceed 15%. This is due to the insidious course of the disease, late diagnosis and lack of access to modern therapies. Over 70 percent At diagnosis, patients no longer qualify for radical treatment due to the advancement of the disease. However, this does not change the fact that lung cancer is a treatable disease and does not mean a death sentence.

The incidence of lung cancer in men has been decreasing in recent years, while it is increasing drastically in women. There are similar trends in mortality. Deaths from lung cancer in men have decreased in the last decade. Meanwhile, this cancer has now become the leading killer of women, right after breast cancer. However, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and, more recently, women.

The causal relationship between cigarette smoking and lung cancer incidence was already described in the 50s. Since then, numerous studies have proved that smoking is the cause of lung cancer in 90 percent. cases.

Cigarette manufacturers are still looking for new ways to advertise them. Prof. Witold Zatoński emphasizes that slim cigarettes look less harmful because they are thin. Meanwhile, it is not so. – Their elegant packaging encourages women to smoke. The smoke has aromatic additives so that the cigarette does not stink, which is supposed to make you believe that it is okay. And yet every cigarette in every box is carcinogenic – says the specialist. The so-called electronic cigarettes – manufacturers often do not specify the detailed composition on the packaging and smokers are not aware of what they are really inhaling.

The risk of lung cancer in the spouses of smokers increases by 25%. About 1/4 of the cases of this cancer are related to passive smoking.

Quitting smoking always reduces your risk of lung cancer. People who want to quit this addiction, but fail to do so, an outstanding specialist in cancer prevention, prof. Witold Zatoński advises a visit to the family doctor. There are many preparations on the market that can make quitting smoking much easier – medications or patches.

About 10 percent. lung cancer cases occur in people who have never smoked, mainly women who have adenocarcinoma predominantly. Cancer in non-smokers may also be related to exposure to passive smoking. That is why you should avoid places where you smoke, and if one of your household members does it, you must urge him to quit the addiction.

The European Code against Cancer lists radon as a harmful environmental factor that increases the risk of lung cancer. It is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. It gets inside buildings directly from the ground. It can also be present in building materials and drinking water, but then its radiation intensity is usually lower. We are most exposed to radiation emitted by radon in our own apartment, because we spend the most time there. Radon decay products are particles that “stick” to airborne dust. When we breathe them in, the radiation they emit can damage cells in the lungs and cause cancer. Airing the rooms and sealing the basement helps to reduce the radon concentration.

There is evidence that environmental chemicals can cause lung cancer. They include, among others asbestos and benzene, as well as engine exhaust fumes. In the vicinity of industrial sites, as well as in areas with intense road traffic and where the furnaces are burned with unsuitable materials, contamination with harmful substances can sometimes exceed the applicable standards.

Surgery, radio- and chemotherapy are not the only treatments for lung cancer. In the treatment of this disease, molecularly targeted therapy is also used, and recently, immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is a lung cancer treatment strategy that activates the immune system, which has a natural anti-cancer defense mechanism. Sometimes neoplasms can get out of his control, becoming somehow invisible. The goal of immunotherapy is to block this action of the tumor. Then the process of recognizing cancer cells is no longer disturbed and the immune system can fight them more effectively. Compared to standard chemotherapy, immunotherapy is characterized by a longer lasting therapeutic benefit. The quality of life of patients is also improved.