What is Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer refers to the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. It is the second and third most common cancer in males and females, respectively. Lung cancer often goes undetected because the tumour can grow to an advanced stage or to a large size without causing any symptoms.

In addition, tumour cells from lung cancer have the tendency to spread to the surrounding lymph nodes or through the bloodstream to different organs that are far away from the original tumour.

There are two general types of lung cancer:

• Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
• Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

The main risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. This also includes secondhand and thirdhand smoking.

• Secondhand smoking refers to inhaling smoke from someone who is beside or near you who is smoking.
• Thirdhand smoking refers to inhalation of smoke from clothing or from a room previously occupied by smokers.

Lung Cancer in Women

While lung cancer has the reputation of being a “man’s disease” – specifically a male smoker’s disease – this stereotype no longer holds true.

According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer diagnoses have risen 84% among women over the past 42 years while dropping 36% among men over the same period. The overall number of cases remains fairly steady.

Approximately 20% of women diagnosed with lung cancer today are lifelong non-smokers. By contrast, only 1 in 12 men with lung cancer have never smoked. So while men still make up the majority of lung cancer diagnoses, the gender gap is narrowing, with lung cancer increasingly affecting women with no obvious behavioral “reason” for the disease.

For now, there is no conclusive evidence to explain why this shift has occurred. Dr. John C. Kucharczuk, Director of the Thoracic Oncology Network at the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine, suggests a few possible reasons:
“It could be hormonal. It could be attributed to high degrees of exposure to secondhand smoke. Some data suggests that among non-smoking females who develop lung cancer, there are chances of a genetic mutation. At this point, there is no conclusive data.”

Source Material: Penn Medicine

However, there are preventative measures, diagnosis tools, and ever-evolving treatments that can help women – and the men who love them – see past these statistics.

“Many women respond better to lung cancer treatment than men,” Dr. Kucharczuk explains, highlighting yet another area where gender might have a bearing on lung cancer and related outcomes.
“Female smokers and nonsmokers with cancer have a lot of therapy options, ranging from surgery to radiation to chemotherapy to a combination of them all, as well as newer molecular-based treatments or immunotherapies. For some non-smokers with suspected genetic abnormalities, targeted therapies have made a big difference.”

As a result, lung cancer survival rates are higher among women than men.

While statistics online may state that lung cancer is the leading cause of death in women, these can be misleading. This is because “lung cancer isn’t the most common cancer among women,” Dr. Kucharczuk points out.
“The prevalence of breast cancer, for example, is higher than the prevalence of lung cancer. That said, lung cancer is more likely to be fatal.”

What are the Common Symptoms of Lung Cancer?

Early Stages of Cancer

Lung cancer is often deadly because it goes undetected in its early stages, as most patients do not exhibit symptoms then. Symptoms of lung cancer often develop as the condition progresses.

Later Stages of Cancer

The main symptoms of lung cancer include:

• A cough that doesn’t go away after 2 or 3 weeks
• A long-standing cough that gets worse
• Chest infections that keep coming back
• Coughing up blood
• An ache or pain when breathing or coughing
• Persistent breathlessness
• Persistent tiredness or lack of energy
• Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss

Less Common Symptoms of Lung Cancer Include:

• Changes in the appearance of your fingers, such as becoming more curved or their ends becoming larger (this is known as finger clubbing)
• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or pain when swallowing
• Wheezing
• A hoarse voice
• Swelling of your face or neck
• Persistent chest or shoulder pain

Disclaimer: The content for this article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your oncologist with any questions regarding a medical condition. Do not disregard medical advice or delay seeking it based on information from this site.