Every year, 9,000 lung cancer patients are diagnosed. In men, this is the most common form of cancer, next to prostate cancer. Since women started smoking frequently in the 1960s, the percentage of women is now also increasing. Many women also come into contact with it at a younger age, because they are more sensitive to the adverse effects of tobacco.

What is cancer?

Cell division takes place everywhere in the body. With the exception of reproductive cells, all cells divide in the same way. This is where errors can occur. The body can repair this itself by destroying the cell itself. This is called apoptosis. If the body does not do this itself and the errors continue to pile up, you will get genetic mutations. And this can lead to cancer. These mutated cells increasingly resemble the original cell. They also follow the rules of sharing less and less, so that the body loses control over the apoptosis process. This way the cells can multiply indefinitely. This can take years. The immune system can also eliminate malignant cells. Cancer only occurs when even the immune system loses control over this cell division.A mass of cancer cells form a tumor. This will form its own network of nourishing blood vessels. Such a tumor usually starts in an organ. In this case a lung. If it continues to grow, it can penetrate into surrounding tissue. As soon as one or more cancer cells move through the lymphatic or bloodstream, it has spread. Also called metastasis. For example, they can settle in bones, liver or brain.

Causes

The main cause of lung cancer is smoking. But it is actually always a combination of factors.

• Age: most occur in people over 60 years of age. This is explained by the fact that the body’s recovery mechanism becomes less strong as age increases. That does not mean that lung cancer does not occur in younger people.
• Heredity: at birth you can already be a carrier of mutations in your genes.
• Smoking: the risk of developing lung cancer is 10% higher among smokers. And the risk increases with multiple cigarettes smoked and the number of years one has ‘smoked’. It does not matter whether you smoke cigarettes (with or without filter), cigars or a pipe. The risk is reduced for each year that one has stopped.
• Asbestos: asbestos fibers are responsible for tumors of the lung lining, or mesotheliomas. If you also smoke, the risk of developing lung cancer is 50 to 90 times greater.
• Occupational risks: exposure to substances such as chromium, arsenic, cadmium, petroleum and coal products, working in blast furnaces and uranium mines.
• Radiotherapy: previous radiation treatment for breast cancer or Hodgkin’s disease, for example, increases the risk of lung cancer.

When should you contact a doctor?

If a period of coughing does not go away, shortness of breath occurs, blood is coughed up or you suffer from severe pain in the side or shoulder. Loss of appetite, weight loss, recurring infections and unusual, increasing fatigue. This does not necessarily mean that there is lung cancer, but these are symptoms that could indicate it.In addition, a hoarse voice or change in voice, wheezing or swallowing disorders can indicate lung cancer. Lung cancer can produce certain hormones, which can be seen from external characteristics whether lung cancer is involved. This can be seen by fluid retention (edema), spots on the skin and watch glass nails (thick fingertips). The doctor willmake an initial diagnosis through physical examination, radiological examination and blood sampling. But to be more certain, a biopsy of the suspicious area is needed. The pathologist can thus determine the type of tumor. An examination will also follow to see whether the cells have spread via lymph or blood in other organs.75% of diagnoses are non-small cell lung cancer, in addition to small cell lung cancer. The first form is aggressive. The cancer cell no longer resembles the original cell, divides and spreads rapidly.

Therapy

Each type of cancer requires different treatment. And that is also related to the degree of metastases, lung function and health status of the patient. Doctors need this information together to put together the treatment plan. Is surgery possible or chemotherapy, possibly together with radiation?Surgery is possible in the early stages of lung cancer. But this is not actually done if there is non-small cell lung cancer. This form is often not detected early and has often spread before the diagnosis is known. An operation is then not useful.Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells by destroying their ability to multiply. The surrounding tissue is spared as much as possible.Chemotherapy is passed through the body to destroy distant metastases. Unfortunately, it also destroys healthy cells. That is why there are so many side effects of chemotherapy. The healthy cells will recover again.

Supportive care

In addition to the treatment of the cancer itself, much more guidance is needed regarding the consequences of the disease and its treatments, such as pain, fatigue, nutritional problems, breathing problems, psychological and social suffering. The team responsible for the total care consists of the pulmonologist, nurses, any pain specialists, physiotherapist, dietician, psychologist and social worker. You can contact them with questions. You can also contact various patient organizations and peer associations.