Negative Effects of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer remains one of the most common and deadly strains among cancer patients. Various types and stages of the disease require different treatments, which can help cure lung cancer patients but come with their own side effects and illnesses, including hair loss and vomiting. But the ultimate negative effect of lung cancer is death when the disease goes undetected or untreated.

How it Ranks

• Lung cancer is the most fatal strain of cancer in both men and women, according to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. A third of those who died of cancer in the U.S. suffered from lung cancer. Medical statistics show a slight decrease in men developing lung cancer within recent years while the number of women contracting the disease is on the rise. For at least four decades, breast cancer led all fatal cancer-related deaths in women. However, in 1987, lung cancer overtook breast cancer as the leading fatal cancer stain in females.

Causes of Lung Cancer

• The U.S. Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society all place the leading blame for lung cancer on cigarette smoking. The CDC reports that smoking causes about 90 percent of lung cancer-related deaths in men and nearly 80 percent of such deaths in women.

Types and Symptoms

• Lung cancer falls into two categories: small cell and non-small cell. Both types behave differently within the human body and require different treatments.

  Small cell lung cancer spreads faster and often is discovered in more advanced stages, according to Cedars-Sinai. This type accounts for about 25 percent of all lung cancer and can include limited strains confined to the chest cavity and extensive strains spread outside of the chest. Non-small cell lung cancer tends to be more isolated and does not spread as aggressively.

  Though some lung cancer patients exhibit no symptoms at all, most exhibit coughing (including blood-producing coughs), pneumonia, shoulder or rib pain, hoarseness, weight loss, loss of appetite or a combination of those symptoms.

Process of Treatment

• Small cell lung cancer often involves more advanced treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Surgery generally is not an option as this type of cancer usually spreads beyond the lungs by the time of diagnosis. Chemotherapy entails using chemicals to stop the ability of cancer cells to divide and reproduce. This treatment can cause other illness and side effects in cancer patients because the drugs also kill certain types of other cells in the body, such as hair cells and the cells that line intestines. Radiation therapy works by exposing cancerous tumors to radiation in order to shrink the cancer. The isolated nature of non-small cell cancer often means tumors can be removed through simple surgery.

Prevention Methods

• Among the most effective methods for preventing lung cancer are not smoking and limiting exposure to secondhand smoke. The CDC reports that smokers who kick the habit lower their risk for lung and other types of cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular diseases. Smokers who quit often experience fewer respiratory illnesses and conditions, such as coughing and shortness of breath. Five to 15 years following the final cigarette, an ex-smoker's risk of lung cancer reduces by half, the American Cancer Society Reports.