To lead a carefree life, it is always better to care for yourself, and maintaining good health should be the topmost priority.

Cancer has been a scary word forever now! Almost all organs in the body can be affected by cancer. Did you know, that the commonest form of cancer is lung cancer which makes up for around 25% of the cancer deaths worldwide? It also has the lowest survival rate at 18%

Let’s understand Lung Cancer: 

Lungs are located in our chest, near the heart. These are an integral part of the respiratory system, which helps in with the life-sustaining process of respiration. This helps us to survive. 

Lung cancer happens, when there is an uncontrollable growth of some abnormal cells in the lungs. It can begin in one or both the lungs. It is also known as lung carcinoma. Cancer that starts in the lungs itself is called primary cancer. This can spread to other parts of the body.

A force of habit, hereditary or work compulsion anything can be a reason! 

Reasons for getting lung cancer: 

• Smoking of tobacco 
• Passive smoking also called second-hand smoking 
• Family history 
• Exposure to asbestos, radiation, radon gas, and heavy metals 
• Having pre-existing lung diseases like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) or pulmonary fibrosis 
• Old age 

The Symptoms 

One will not typically see any signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer. Only when cancer reaches the advanced stages one can see and feel a few symptoms.

• Cough that refuses to go away 
• Coughing accompanied by blood 
• Shortness of breath 
• Chest pain 
• Hoarseness 
• Sudden loss of weight 
• Episodes of pneumonia 
• Pain in bones 
• Headache 

After the pandemic, we are no strangers to cough and related symptoms, but when the symptoms last longer than two weeks, it is best to take the advice of a specialist! A preventive health check-up package is your safe bet to get anxiety free. The results help to have a better diagnosis about the symptoms.  

Diagnosis: 

If the symptoms persist longer, the doctor may suggest a range of tests to determine the root cause. 

Blood tests and scans are the best way to diagnose lung cancer. CT scans and X-rays are useful in scanning any abnormalities of the lungs. A surgical biopsy, which is almost accurate, is recommended for advanced analysis. 

Nip it in the bud! 

Regular preventive health checks up are the best way to diagnose any disease in, the early stages. Diagnosis in an early stage is very crucial, as this helps in nipping the disease in the bud before it escalates. 

Treatment: 

Treatment plans for lung cancer are largely patient-centric. The treatment depends on several factors like where cancer originated, how it has progressed, and which stage it is in when diagnosed. Some treatments are listed below: 

Surgery 

• Targeted therapy 
• Chemotherapy 
• Immunotherapy 
• Radiotherapy 

The doctor may recommend a single or combination of therapies as per the situation, to have the best and most effective results.

Prevention: 

There is no recommended strategy to avoid getting lung cancer, but there are ways to logically avoid getting it or at least delay the onset. 

• Eating a healthy diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is the best to lead a healthy life. 
• If you are fond of smoking, it is time, you reduced and eventually even turn towards getting rid of it completely. 
• If anyone close to you has the habit of smoking, make sure you ask them to stop or at least maintain your distance from them. 
• Look out for smoke-free rooms when you are on an outing. 
• Protect yourself from any kind of radiation and take extra precautions when you are compelled to work with carcinogenic materials. 

 Better to know the road with a map, rather than falling into the rabbit hole! 

Most important of all, take the preventive health check-ups! This is the surest way to understand the condition of our body and to take action if any anomalies are detected. X-rays and routine tests help in the prognosis of any disease. 

Indus Health Plus offers a range of preventive health test packages and health screening packages these help detect a disease in the early stages.

If you are bursting to know more, call us to book an appointment which our experts today! Together let us embark on the journey towards a healthier tomorrow!