Effects of Lung Cancer and the Complications You are Likely to Have

Lung cancer in Flemington is among the leading causes of death in the region. You are likely to develop lung cancer when your lung cells mutate. Fortunately, your doctor can develop a customized care plan depending on your symptoms to help relieve them, allowing you to live longer.

How does smoking affect your lungs?

Smoking is a primary cause of lung cancer. Therefore you are at a greater risk of the disease when you smoke or expose yourself to second-hand smoke. However, that does not mean that lung cancer is exclusive to smokers. Individuals who do not smoke can also get cancer. Smoking damages the cells lining your lungs. Thus, tissues in your lungs begin to change immediately you inhale the carcinogenic smoke. Though your body might repair the damage in your early stages, repeated exposure to the smoke increasingly damages the linings of your lungs, causing the cells to act abnormally. Over time, cancer may start to develop.

Your doctor will tell the type of lung cancer you have depending on how the cells appear under a microscope and devise a treatment plan. The two primary types of lung cancer include:

· Small cell that you are likely to develop if you are a heavy smoker

· Non-small cell that is the most common form of lung cancer and incorporates several types of lung cancers, including large scale carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma

What are your risk factors for developing lung cancer?

Various factors might increase your risk of developing lung cancer. While you can control some of the factors, some, like family history, are inevitable. Your risk of developing the ailment depends significantly on the number of years of smoking and the cigarettes you smoke daily. Additionally, you may also have increased chances when you expose yourself to secondary smoking. Your other risk factors include:

· Previous radiation therapy

· Family history

· Exposure to carcinogens like asbestos

· Exposure to radon gas

What are the complications you are likely to have with lung cancer?

· Pain. You are likely to feel pain when the disease advances, spreading to the lining of your lungs or other body parts, including your bones.

· Shortness of breath. You are likely to experience the complication if cancer grows to block your major airways. The disease may also cause fluid to accumulate in the spaces surrounding your lungs in your chest cavity.

· Coughing up blood. Cancer may lead to bleeding in your airways, causing you to cough blood

· Metastasis. Lung cancer might spread to your other body parts like your brain, causing you severe symptoms depending on the organ the condition affects. The disease is incurable once it spreads beyond your lungs. However, your healthcare provider may suggest treatment options to relieve your symptoms, elongating your life.

Though you cannot prevent lung cancer from developing, there are several measures, including changing your lifestyle your doctor will likely recommend to help minimize your risk. Schedule an appointment with your physician to know more about lung cancer.