LUNG CANCER SYMPTOMS TREATMENTS

LUNG CANCER - GENERAL
LUNG CANCER SYMPTOMS TREATMENTS
 

Lungs
The lungs are located in the thorax on either side of the heart. The right lung is divided into three parts (the lobes). The left lung has only two. Each lung is surrounded by a membrane, the pleura. The vascularized area between the two lungs and which also houses the heart is called the mediastinum.

The air we breathe reaches the lungs, passing successively through the nasal cavities, the trachea and the bronchi. The latter branch out to form the bronchioles, which end in the pulmonary alveoli. The lungs contain several million. Alveoli are tiny sacs lined with microscopic blood vessels. This is where the blood gets rid of carbon dioxide and recharges with oxygen, which it then delivers to each of our cells. The lungs therefore perform a vital function for the whole body.

Respiratory system

Primary cancer or metastasis?
Lung cancer is caused by a tumor that originates inside the lung (primary lung cancer). But the lungs can also be the site of metastases from another tumor (breast cancer, for example). In the latter case, it is not strictly speaking lung cancer and the choice of treatment will be determined by the type of cancer causing the metastases.

We are only interested here in primary lung cancer.

Lung cancer in numbers
The infographic below has been produced based on figures from the Cancer Registry. The figures are transposed there in the form of graphs representing the number of new cases per year, the age groups most affected and the number of deaths due to this type of cancer.

Today, lung cancer continues to affect more men than women, although the numbers are on the rise among women - a result of the sharp increase in female smoking for several decades.

Classification of lung cancers
There are several forms of lung cancer. Depending on the appearance of the cells involved, we speak:

or "small cell cancer", also called "oatmeal cancer" (20 to 25% of cases);
or “non-small cell cancer” (75 to 80%), which in turn is subdivided into several distinct categories.
The type of lung cancer and the stage of the disease determine the choice of treatment (s).