Lung cancer is the state when your body continues to make unwanted and abnormal cells.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. It is the leading cause of deaths in the world with over 2.1 million patients pouring in with lung cancer and about 1.8 million people dying of it in 2018.
Table of Contents
Overview
Lung cancer has 2 broad types. One is called small cell lung cancer and the other one is called non-small cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer has many causes and has many obvious symptoms that are listed down below. But to get it diagnosed it is always the best practice to get the best advice available out there by the best pulmonologist.
Let us discover more about lung cancer and we will also try to find out the best food items that you can take to prevent and treat lung cancer.
Causes
The frequency of a person to catch lung cancer depends on the overall environment. The main cause of lung cancer is thought to be active smoking but it can also be caused by passive or second hand smoking.
Smoking
Smoking has detrimental effects on lungs and may result in more chances of you getting prone to lung cancer.With that being said it is also evident that lung cancer is more common among older people who have spent a considerable time of their life smoking.
The tobacco smoke has many harmful carcinogenic elements in it that may cause uncontrolled growth of lung cells that may ultimately lead to lung cancer.
It has been found out that cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer.
Secondhand Smoke or Passive Smoking
This term can be used in the case when you are not smoking on your own but are exposed to an environment where you have contact with the smoke coming from the cigarette end or from the smoker’s mouth. This can significantly increase the chances of getting lung cancer.
Non smokers or passive smokers are also the victim of this dreadful lung cancer.
Passive smoking can increase the chance of getting lung cancer by 20 to 30 % as it can irritate the inner linings of lungs and can set the cancer in motion.
Exposure To Dust And Polluted Environment
With the recent advancements and advanced knowledge in this field has resulted in letting us know of this fact that the dusty and polluted environment may cause lung cancer. People when exposed to this environment for a longer duration of time have higher chances of developing lung cancer.
Occupational Exposure
This includes interaction with uranium, coke, coal gas and asbestos. There are many people working in blast furnaces and in iron manufacturing plants who are at greater risk of developing lung cancer.
This sums up the discussion for the possible causes of lung cancer, but how can you be sure that you are suffering from lung cancer or you are at the verge of developing lung cancer.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer
There are many symptoms of lung cancer but to put in a nutshell there are some key and noticeable symptoms that are necessary to be sure of this ailment.
The symptoms are as follows:
Blood in cough or mucus
If you observe any unusual blood in your mucus or cough then it may hint at growing lung cancer. However there is a dire need to not to be confused with the bleeding due to some other dental issues.
Unexplained breathlessness
If you suffer some unexplained breathlessness, it may hint at lung cancer. There could be some other reasons for it as well that may include some heart diseases but to be sure that it is lung cancer look out for other related symptoms as well.
A long standing cough
Cough can be due to multiple reasons but the one in this case is a very perplexing case. Cough may last a few days when you are suffering from cold or flu but in this case to be precise the cough may last for 2 to 3 weeks.
Loss of appetite and weight loss.
If you experience sudden weight loss then it may be linked to lung cancer. The duration of this weight loss may not be that quick to notice but most of the people do have significant weight loss at the time of diagnosis.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of lung cancer is not that hard and the physician may diagnose it right away looking at your symptoms.
But to be on the safe side and to be cent percent sure the physician or the doctor may ask you to undergo chest X ray or a CT scan. The advanced methods of diagnosis include the bronchoscopy and biopsy methods.
The results of these tests are very critical for the accurate and true diagnosis so it is recommended to get them done from a reliable source.
Don’t be afraid to get A biopsy or CT Scan done, just make the appointments from our website and get these procedures done.
Stages of Lung Cancer
There are 4 stages of cancer like other cancers and it may take some time for the symptoms to develop fully. If you have any of the above symptoms then you should consult your doctor right away. Doctors may diagnose the disease right away by looking at the x-ray or by carefully observing your symptoms.
According to a rough estimate many people overlook their symptoms and when they finally arrive at the doctors the things are in pretty bad state.
Treatments
The final choice of giving the best possible treatment is always done by the pulmonary specialist or physician. But the methods that are frequently used to treat lung cancer may include the following
- Open Surgery to remove out tumour
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Cryotherapy
The best possible method is selected by your physician depending upon the rate of success and the turn out of surgery. The efficacy of these treatments is multiplied many fold when done at the best centre.
These are some of the best hospitals which we have listed for smooth and tension free experience.
In many cases the procedures are used in conjunctions and may help to ease out the symptoms of lung cancer.
Dietary Intake
The above discussion so far is done to fully understand lung cancer and to be aware of the disease. But there are some dietary habits that one can adapt to prevent the chances of lung cancer.
Healthy fats
One should try to consume healthy fats that will help to provide enough energy and can also help to maintain blood pressure, reduce inflammation and can help to improve your lungs health as well.
The foods in this category may include the following
- Nuts
- olive oil
- Eggs
- Avocado
Find out these amazing 7 healthy lungs foods that are best to keep your lungs healthy this summer.
Proteins
Try to consume proteins in your diet as they may help you with keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Proteins will help to make new respiratory cells that are useful to keep you healthy and strong.
Proteins that can be incorporated in diet for this purpose may include the following
- Eggs
- Beans
- Chicken and fish
- Low fat dairy products
Fruits
There are many fruits that can help you to produce enough antioxidants that will help to cope up with the stress imposed by the ailment to your body.
The list is by no means so exhaustive and may include the followings
- Apples
- Grapes
- Beat
- Pear
Vegetables
There are plenty of vegetables that are found useful in treating and preventing lung cancer. They need to be incorporated in your diet to keep yourself healthy and fit as fiddle.
Ginger
It is believed that ginger has many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances in it. Ginger can be used therefore to treat diseases related to the lungs.
Also because of these properties ginger is considered to have promising results when it comes to treating cancer. The amazing spice has many other amazing advantages, so to know the benefits of ginger read out more here.
Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables can be used to reduce the risk of lung cancer. These vegetables are loaded with vitamins that are beneficial for the body ‘s defence system. The green vegetables which you can add in your diet may include the following
- Spinach
- kale
- Lettuce
Besides these carrots can also be incorporated in your diet to avoid the risk of lung cancer.
Other measures
They say that you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice left behind. If you or any of your loved ones are suffering from lung cancer then it is essential to boost up their morale and self esteem.
The integrated measures that can be done to boost up the lost morale and to deal with the anxiety related with this ailment may include the following:
- Acupuncture
- Aroma therapy
- Meditation
- Yoga
Take away Note,
Lungs are the vital organs that make our life possible on this earth. To keep them fit and healthy, there is a need to make necessary changes to your lifestyle and dietary habits. If you or anyone of your loved ones have contracted lung cancer then first of all be assured that it is not the end of the world. It is a treatable and manageable ailment and you can survive this phase with the necessary dietary modifications.
