How Lung Cancer affects your Body

Lung cancer is a form of cancer that affects the tissues of the lungs, mostly the cells lining the air passages. Lung cancer is fairly common. In 2008, approximately 215,020 new cases of lung cancer and 161,840 lung cancer deaths were reported in the US. The symptoms of lung cancer are very clear and take a massive toll on the body. Some of the symptoms of lung cancer include cough that worsens by the day, constant chest pain, breathlessness, coughing up blood, frequent lung infections etc. You may also feel tired all the time and witness excessive weight loss for no apparent reason. If the cancer has metastasized, there will be some signs, such as disturbances of hormones or blood. Read this piece further to know more about how lung cancer affects your body.

How lung cancer affects your body

• Lung cancer tends to spread to the adrenal glands, liver, the brain and the bones.
• If lung cancer spreads to the brain, it can cause difficulties with vision, seizures, weakness etc.
• Metastatic lung cancer spreading towards the liver or adrenal glands typically shows no symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
• When it affects the bones, it can cause acute pain, usually in the thigh bones, the vertebrae and the ribs.
• Chemotherapy or radiation can be used to cure lung cancer though Chemotherapy can further cause side effects such as vomiting, nausea, hair loss, skin problems and fatigue.
• Radiation has a different effect. It affects the healthy tissues, which touch the tumour or are adjacent to it. The side effects of this type of treatment depend on the part of the body receiving the radiation.
• Lung cancer causes excessive coughing. The tumour that grows inside the lung exerts pressure on the chest. This leads to severe cough and sometimes, the patient may produce a lot of sputum along with blood.
• The victim might experience wheezing if the tumour blocks the windpipe. The way lung cancer affects your body depends on the stage and rate of spread of the cancer. When the tumour presses against the chest, there may be excessive chest pain.

The multiple ways in which lung cancer affects your body can be seen in the symptoms manifested by the cancer. if the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, it can be airbrushed through a surgery. Although surgery is important, it does take a toll on the patient. Pain, weakness and shortness of breath are often experienced in the post-surgery phase.

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