Monday, October 19, 2009
Lung cancer is a syndrome caused by the rapid growth and division of cells that make up the lungs. Lung cancer is sometimes called "bronchogenic cancer", or it may be described by its particular histological type, that is the type of tissue that is diseased.
Under customary circumstances, lung cells reproduce in an orderly fashion to maintain tissue health and to repair injuries. However, when growth control is lost and cells divide too much and too fast, a cellular mass or tumor is formed. If the tumor is confined to a few cell layers (for example, surface cells) and it does not invade surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered benign. By contrast, if the tumor spreads to surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered malignant, or cancerous.
If cancerous cells shatter away from the original tumor, travel, and grow within other body parts such as the brain, bone, liver, adrenal glands, the opposite lung, or lymph nodes of the chest or collarbone (clavicle) regions the process is known as metastasis.
Lung cancer disease is among the most common cancers in the Western world. In 2008, approximately 215,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in the United States and about 162,000 people died from the disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause for cancer death in men, and since the late 1980s it has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause for cancer death in women. Findings from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicate that the upward trend in cancer-related death is due to the rapidly increasing rate of lung cancer mortality.
Under customary circumstances, lung cells reproduce in an orderly fashion to maintain tissue health and to repair injuries. However, when growth control is lost and cells divide too much and too fast, a cellular mass or tumor is formed. If the tumor is confined to a few cell layers (for example, surface cells) and it does not invade surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered benign. By contrast, if the tumor spreads to surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered malignant, or cancerous.
If cancerous cells shatter away from the original tumor, travel, and grow within other body parts such as the brain, bone, liver, adrenal glands, the opposite lung, or lymph nodes of the chest or collarbone (clavicle) regions the process is known as metastasis.
Lung cancer disease is among the most common cancers in the Western world. In 2008, approximately 215,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in the United States and about 162,000 people died from the disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause for cancer death in men, and since the late 1980s it has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause for cancer death in women. Findings from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicate that the upward trend in cancer-related death is due to the rapidly increasing rate of lung cancer mortality.
posted by emedinfo
@4:28 AM
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