Cancer Science Journal – Cancer Statistics 2010

Lung cancer statistics do not give us a very rosy picture. Lung cancer is the most fatal among all cancers causing the most number of deaths. This is the case irrespective of whether they are men and women. In the year 2005, the number of deaths caused by lung cancer is more than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. In that year, 107,416 men and 89,271 women were diagnosed with lung cancer and out of these cases 90,139 men and 69,078 women found it to be fatal.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States irrespective of whether they were Asian/pacific islander, American Indian/Alaska native, Black, Hispanic or White.

In the case of women, it is the second most common cancer among American Indian/Alaska Native, Black and White and the third most common one amongst Asian/pacific islander and Hispanic women.

The TNM system is used to describe the lung cancer staging system.  It is a classification system developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the Union Contre le Cancer (UICC).  According to this, T stands for Tumor size, N for node involvement and M for metastasis status:-

1. The tumor size is classified into TX, T0, Tis, T1, T2, T3, T4. TX being for the least infected and T4 for the most.
2. Regional lymph nodes are divided into NX, N0, N1, N2, N3. NX again being the weakest form of the disease and N3, the strongest.
3. Metastasis can be divided into MX, M0 and M1 with similar levels of intensity as the above two.

The lung cancer staging system can be defined by combining the stages that the above 3 points are at. It can accordingly be divided into:

a)      Stage Ia – T1, N0, M0

b)      Stage Ib – T2, N0, M0

c)      Stage IIa – N1, M0

d)     Stage IIb – T2, N1, M0 or T3, N0, M0

e)      Stage IIIa – T1-2, N2, M0 or T3, N1-2, M0

f)       Stage IIIb – T(any), N3, M0 or T4, N(any), M0

Stage IV – T(any), N(any), M1

The spread of cancer in the body is determined by the stage of the tumor.

NSCLC allot four stages to cancer based on severity:

1. Stage I – Confined to the lungs
2. Stage II and III – Confined to the chest with larger and more invasive tumors being stage III
3. Stage IV – Here cancer has spread to other parts of the body

The SCLC has a different staging process:

1. Limited stage (LS)- Cancer stays confined to the area of origin in the chest

Extensive stage (ES) – Cancer spreads to other parts of the body

To be diagnosed with lung cancer can be very devastating for a person and he/she might find it very hard to go through it alone. There are a large number of lung cancer support groups that can be found all over the internet. Here is a list of 5 such groups for people with lung cancer, survivors and their friends and family:

1. Lung Cancer Online
2. LUNGevity Foundaation
3. Lung Cancer Alliance
4. Around.org
5. Daily strength

All of these above support groups are a very good place to start for anybody who has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and wants support from fellow lung cancer patients.

When we look at lung cancer/smoking statistics the first thing we should notice is that 90% of death in men and 80% of death in women due to lung cancer is caused by smoking cigarettes and is likely to increase through 2010 and beyond.

1. Compared to people who do not smoke, men are 23 times more likely to get infected while in women the chances are 13 times more.
2. In the year 2003 alone, around 171,900 cases of lung cancer were diagnosed and nearly 157,200 of these cases resulted in death.
3. Reduction in smoking or using smokeless tobacco could prevent many of the approximate 12,300 new cases and 12,100 deaths caused by esophageal cancer.

There are many lung cancer radiation side effects. A few of them are listed here below:

1. During the initial stages of the treatment it is quite common to feel tired. The fatigue gradually increases and as time goes by it severely reduces ones ability to take part in normal everyday activities.
2. Hair loss in the chest wall area included inside the radiation field is common in some patients. Depending on the intensity of the radiation this may temporary or permanent.
3. Skin irritation always occurs after a few weeks of radiation treatment. This area may become reddened, dry, tender and itchy. During an extended period of treatment, this reaction may become quite severe.
4. It is quite common for patients to suffer from a temporary loss of appetite.
5. Esophagitis, inflammation of the esophagus, is quite common after radiotherapy and can be quite severe.
6. Radiation pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs, can also develop around 3 to 9 months after the therapy is over.

The process of spread of lung cancer to other parts of the body is termed as metastasis. The areas of tumor growth are called metatstases. As lung cancer spreads very early in its course, it is considered very threatening and is very difficult to treat. Lung cancer metastasis can occur to any organ of the body although the most commonly affected organs are the adrenal glands, brain, bones and liver.

The lungs are a very common place for metastasis from tumors in other parts of the body. Tumor metastases are made up of the same types of cells as the original or primary tumor. Example:- If prostate cancer spreads to the lungs via the bloodstream, it will be called metastatic prostate cancer in the lung and not be called lung cancer.

Adenocarcinoma lung cancer prognosis does not tell a very pretty picture. It does depend on the stage at which the cancer is diagnosed and the overall health of the patient. But, in general the prognosis is poor, especially if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes of the mediastinum or areas outside the chest wall.

This type of cancer can only be cured with surgery or radiation therapy, but only if this can completely remove the tumor. However most of the time, this cancer is diagnosed at a stage when therapy is of no use. Only 17% of patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma survive for more than 5 years.

You are diagnosed with advanced lung cancer when the cancer spreads from the lungs to any other part of the body. This may occur either when you are diagnosed or even after treatment.

Lung cancer can spread either within the lung itself or to other parts of the body.

The advanced lung cancer is most likely to spread to the lymph nodes within the chest, abdomen, neck or armpits, the liver, the bones or the brain.

Please remember, just because you have cancer does not mean that all aches and pains that you get is caused by the cancer. It is very important to immediately tell your doctor or any new symptoms that start worrying you. They may not be caused by the cancer. Here, the doctor will be able to help.

There are many alternative lung cancer treatments that may be used. Which of these treatments to undertake depends on the severity of the cancer and the location of the tumor.  When lung cancer is at stage one or two, surgery is the best option unless you have any health issues like heart problems or other lung problems.

Also, if the tumor is close to any of the vital organs, surgery might be ruled out and it is obviously best to take the advice of your physician as to which treatment to start. Some of the alternative lung cancer treatments are:

1. Wedge resection or segmentectomy
2. Lobectomy
3. Pneumonectomy
4. Video-assisted thorarcic surgery