Tobacco Use and Lung Cancer Essay -- essays research papers

Lung Cancer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer among both men and women. There are two different types of lung cancer: nonsmall cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. There are also many different things that can cause lung cancer, but the number one cause for lung cancer is tobacco use.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is lung cancer? This is a question that a lot of people are still asking. Lung cancer is definitely something to want to be educated about so that it can be recognizable. There are healthy cells that grow and divide throughout the body to keep it functioning properly, but sometimes this growth gets out of control when the cells continue to produce even though cells aren’t needed. These abnormal cells in the lungs originate when the lungs are exposed to carcinogens for instance those found in cigarette smoke. At first, only a small number of abnormal cells might appear, but as these cells are increasingly exposed to carcinogens they will definitely progress and eventually these cells become cancerous. Once these cancerous cells have reached the lungs, they have easy access to a large number of blood and lymph vessels. (MFMER 1998-2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cancer that begins in the lungs is divided into two major types, small cell lung cancer and nonsmall cell lung cancer. Nonsmall cell lung cancer is more common than small cell lung cancer and it generally grows and spreads more slowly. There are three main types of nonsmall cell lung cancer that are named for the type of cells in which the cancer develops. These three types are: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that forms in cells that are lining the airways. It’s the most common type of lung cancer in men. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer in women and people who have never smoked, it is a cancer that usually begins in the mucus-producing cells of the lung. The last type of nonsmall cell lung cancer is large cell carcinoma; this type of cancer originates in the peripheral part of the lungs. The other major type of lung cancer is small cell lung cancer which sometimes i s called oat cell cancer, it is less common than nonsmall cell lung cancer. This particular type of lung cancer grows more quickly and is more likely to spread to other organs in the... ...compressing against other organs of the body. The final treatment mentioned is clinical trials to evaluate new ways to treat cancer. This is an option for many lung cancer patients, with some doctors all patients receive the new treatment but with others they test it out with one group of patients and give the usual to another group. (United States 1997-1998)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As stated in this paper before, the number one leading cancer killer among both men and women is lung cancer and approximately ninety percent of lung cancer is caused by tobacco use. People just do not realize how serious of an issue this really is, which is due to the fact that they are not near educated enough about lung cancer and the use of tobacco. Although millions of people have died as a result of this, it is still a very preventable cause. Granted there are some cases that might not be as obvious to the person such as radon, or asbestos, which in that case they should be more aware of their environment and surroundings. As for the number one cause of cancer, there is a number one prevention and that is to never start smoking or to quit smoking and live a longer more enjoyable lifestyle.