Learn All About Lung Cancer Risks, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Lung cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the lungs and spreads throughout the body.

 

A pair of sponge-like organs in your chest that absorb oxygen with each breath and exhale carbon dioxide are your lungs. They are located in the upper chest cavity. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the developed world.

People who smoke are at the most significant risk of developing lung cancer, though the disease can also occur in people who have never smoked before. If you smoke for an extended period or consume a large number of cigarettes, your risk of developing lung cancer rises. Even if you have been smoking for a long time, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing lung cancer if you quit.

Testing can be used to determine the type of lung cancer a person has and whether or not it has spread to other parts of the body. A variety of imaging tests and blood tests are performed when cancer is suspected of causing the symptoms. In addition, biological tissue is removed from a tumor during a biopsy procedure so that the tissue can be tested and examined under a microscope.

The cancer spreads through the body, and this is referred to as “metastasis.” The size of the tumor and whether or not it has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body are used to determine the stage of a cancer diagnosis. The stage of the tumor increases as the tumor grows in size or as it spreads (spread). Thus, the stage of the disease is one of the characteristics used to guide treatment decisions.