The leading place among all oncological diseases is occupied by lung cancer. Scientists around the world are trying to find a universal cure for this disease. However, the statistics are disappointing. 85% of cases are fatal.
Medical certificate
Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer. Approximately 25% of the total number of neoplasms occurs in this species. The disease occurs in men 10 times more often than in the fair sex. With age, the risk of getting sick increases significantly.
According to histological classification, small cell and non-small cell lung cancer are distinguished. The need for such a separation is due to the choice of treatment tactics. In the first case, the pathology is characterized by the appearance of small cells in the organ without signs of differentiation. The disease, as a rule, is detected in people who smoke or work in hazardous industries. To a greater extent, people older than 50-60 years are affected. The neoplasm is characterized by rapid growth and the appearance of metastases. The prognosis is disappointing. After confirmation of the patient's diagnosisdies within months.
Non-small cell cancer is diagnosed more often. The disease occurs mainly in older men. Among its histological characteristics, one can note the presence of keratinization, the formation of horn pearls. It is on this type of disease that we will dwell in more detail.
What is non-small cell lung cancer?
This is a malignant neoplasm that develops from the epithelial tissues of the lung. It appears due to violations of the structure or functioning of the DNA of he althy cells. The basis can be changes both in the organism itself and the influence of environmental factors. As a result, their uncontrolled and chaotic division is observed.
Classification of pathology
In medical practice, it is customary to distinguish several varieties of non-small cell lung cancer, each of which is characterized by individual clinical features.
- Large cell lung carcinoma. It accounts for about 15% of all lung cancers. Under a microscope, it is defined as a neoplasm with rounded cell structures. It is characterized by rapid growth and the appearance of metastases.
- Adenocarcinoma. It occurs in 40% of lung cancer patients. It develops mainly against the background of long-term tobacco smoking. Adenocarcinoma occurs in glandular tissues and affects the outer part of the lung.
- Squamous cell carcinoma. Formed from cellular elements lining the inside of the respiratory tract.
KUnfortunately, doctors are not always able to determine the type of pathology in a timely manner. In this case, the diagnosis sounds like "undifferentiated cancer." However, this factor does not affect the quality of treatment.
Main reasons
Smoking is considered the main cause of cancer. Tobacco smoke consists of many dangerous carcinogenic compounds, which provoke oncological processes in lung tissues. The likelihood of an illness increases significantly with an impressive experience of nicotine addiction, if a person smokes more than one pack of cigarettes per day.
Much less often, the cause of the disease is work in hazardous chemical or metallurgical industries. Air pollution also plays an important role in the development of cancer.
Clinical picture
Non-small cell lung cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages. However, if certain symptoms appear, you should immediately contact an oncologist and undergo an appropriate examination.
- Cough. At first it is dry and short, disturbing mainly at night. As the disease progresses, its intensity increases, mucus with impurities of pus may appear.
- Shortness of breath. Occurs due to blockage of the bronchial lumen by a tumor. The size of the neoplasm directly affects the intensity of dyspnea. It usually appears after intense physical exertion.
- Rise in temperature. This symptom indicates the beginning of the process of tumor decay. Sometimesit is taken as a sign of pneumonia or the flu.
- Hemoptysis. The presence of streaks of blood in the sputum indicates that the tumor is at the stage of decomposition. This symptom is observed in 50% of cases.
If the neoplasm reaches an impressive size, the clinical picture described above is complemented by pain in the sternum, general weakness, increased fatigue, loss of appetite.
What is the disease dangerous?
The main danger of non-small cell cancer is almost asymptomatic during the first three stages of development. In the vast majority of cases (approximately 70%), the pathology is diagnosed at stages 3-4. With late detection, the disease is not possible to overcome completely. The prognosis for stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer is poor. Only 20% of patients manage to overcome the five-year survival threshold.
Metastasis is considered another danger of the disease. Cancer cells gradually spread to neighboring organs and tissues. The intensity of metastasis may vary depending on the type of non-small cell cancer. Most often, the following organs suffer from the “secondary” process:
- lymph nodes;
- digestive organs;
- heart;
- adrenals;
- brain.
A complete cure is possible only if you seek early medical help, well-chosen therapy.
Diagnostic Methods
To revealfor non-small cell lung cancer, the following diagnostic methods are used:
- blood test;
- radiological examination;
- CT and MRI of lungs;
- bronchoscopy;
- thoracoscopy;
- sputum cytology;
- positron emission tomography.
Stages of disease development
In the development of the disease, it is customary to distinguish 4 stages:
- Non-small cell lung cancer at the initial stage is characterized by the absence of a pronounced clinical picture. The tumor is less than 3 cm and has no metastases.
- At the second stage, the neoplasm becomes more aggressive. Oncoprocesses begin to move to closely located lymph nodes. The first non-specific symptoms appear.
- The third stage is characterized by the spread of pathology to the lymph nodes and surrounding tissues. Multiple regional metastases are detected.
- The fourth stage is terminal and incurable. The tumor affects both lungs, intraorganic metastases are detected.
Proper determination of the stage of the oncological process allows you to give the most accurate prognosis for recovery.
Therapy options
Almost half of the cases, patients seek medical help already with an inoperable form of the disease. However, even in the third stage, it is still possible to stop the progression of the disease. In general, the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer is based on several approaches: chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. Let's take a look at what each option is.
Surgery
During the operation, the doctor removes the neoplasm and adjacent pathological areas (tissues, lymph nodes). Surgical treatment of non-small cell lung cancer is especially effective in the early stages. With a successful operation, it is possible to achieve a complete cure or stable remission. In modern medical practice, the following options for eliminating neoplasms are used:
- pneumonectomy (removal of the part of the lung affected by the tumor);
- lobectomy (excision of an organ lobe);
- bilobectomy (removal of two or more lobes).
Before surgery, the patient must once again undergo a comprehensive examination to make sure the tumor is malignant. It is also important to make sure that there are no contraindications to the procedure, the operability of the neoplasm. Among the main contraindications to surgical intervention are pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, severe exhaustion of the body, and advanced age.
After the operation, the patient is placed in the intensive care unit, where his vital signs are continuously monitored and adequate pain relief is provided. If necessary, symptomatic treatment is prescribed.
Cancer surgery is a complex procedure. Therefore, its implementation may be accompanied by complications. Among the latter, the following disorders are most common: respiratory failure, bleeding, arrhythmia, infection.
Features of chemotherapy
For non-small cell lung cancer, chemotherapy involves the introduction of anticancer drugs into the patient's body (by injection or orally). The treatment is carried out in courses, the duration of each of them is up to four weeks.
Chemotherapy for this type of cancer includes the use of cytotoxic agents. For example, Avastin, Cytogem, Taxotere. These medicines purposefully destroy tumor elements, but along with them, he althy cells. Therefore, the entire treatment process is often accompanied by side effects in the form of hair loss, nausea, lack of appetite.
Irradiation treatment
Radiation or radiotherapy is indicated to reduce the size of the tumor, relieve symptoms in case of palliative treatment. Also, her help is resorted to in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer at the fourth stage in order to relieve pain. Irradiation is also carried out at the initial stages of the pathology, if the patient refuses surgical intervention or it is contraindicated. The standard course of therapy is 6 weeks.
Prognosis for recovery
Unfortunately, it is possible to detect this type of cancer at an early stage only in 30% of cases.
How long do non-small cell lung cancer patients live? In the fourth, and sometimes in the third stage, the disease is already difficult to surgically treat. Due to rapid metastasis, cancer cells affect mostorgans. Therefore, the vast majority of patients die in the first 4-5 years after diagnosis.
However, subject to a competent choice of the method of therapy, the prognosis is noticeably improved. It is advisable to treat non-small cell lung cancer through surgical intervention at an early stage, when metastases have not yet had time to penetrate into distant organs. Chemotherapy in combination with radiation also gives good results. In some cases, it is possible to achieve an increase in life expectancy up to 10 years.
When non-small cell cancer is detected at the fourth stage, it is considered inappropriate to carry out expensive treatment. At this stage, the disease is no longer amenable to therapy. All the forces of doctors are usually aimed at stopping the pain syndrome and fighting other unpleasant manifestations characteristic of the disease.
