Stage Four Stages Of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a non-infectious disease that is caused by unhealthy mutated cells that divide out of control. It is the first cause of cancer death in men and women worldwide, with approximately 1,370,000 deaths a year.
The chances of developing lung cancer are significantly increased from smoking and exposure to air pollutants such as asbestos, smog or radon- this is why cancerous cells are found in the lining of the respiratory tract. Almost 90 percent of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking, but anyone can develop the cancerous cells. When breathing in the air pollutants such as radon and smoke, the cells lining the lungs and respiratory tract are disrupted- long exposure to these chemicals pose the possibility of cell mutations causing
lung cancer.
Lung cancer is usually specified into four stages when a diagnosis is being made, the stage is dependent on how large the cancer is and how much it has spread across the body.
Stage one of lung cancer is when the cancer tumour or radius of cells is no larger than 5cm and hasn’t spread to lymph nodes- it is known as early lung cancer. Stage two of lung cancer has a cancerous tumour or radius of cells no bigger than 7cm, it may have spread to nearby lymph nodes and is growing to other parts of the lung and outside of the lung. Stage three of lung cancer is when the cancer is any size and has spread to lymph nodes, the cancer could be growing into other parts of the lung and tissues and structures further away from the lung but not into other organs. The final stage of lung cancer, stage 4, is the most severe form of lung cancer where the cancer has spread to the heart or other organs in the body such as the brain or liver. Stage 4 also includes the spreading of cancerous cells to the other lung as it typically only develops in one- this will show that it is spreading around the body. As the lung cancer progresses through stages, it can cause back pain due to tumours growing in size. The tumours cause pressure that cause back pain. Another reason that back pain may be a problem is that the cancer could have spread to the spine or ribs, in stage 4 of lung
cancer.
Lung cancer affects the lymphatic system, when it spreads into the lymph nodes the cancerous cells become very dangerous and harder to destroy without affecting the persons own healthy cells. The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in the immune system as it must fight bacteria and other infections. It is common for cancer cells to travel from the lungs to lymph nodes as there is a natural movement of tissue fluid to the lymph nodes from the lungs. Swelling usually occurs as part of this, and it is one of the most noticeable signs that cancer has progressed into the lymph nodes. Swollen lymph nodes in the armpit or groin can cause swelling around the body which indicates the cancerous cells have invaded the lymphatic system.
Transmission of the cancerous cells around the body usually occur due to cancer cells in the blood circulation. This occurs when cancer cells break off from the primary cancerous tumour in the lungs and invade the blood vessel walls, invading the bloodstream and sticking in capillaries where they migrate into a nearby tissue and multiply to form another tumour. Lung cancer can also spread to the bones and brain in later stages. Cancer of the brain is incredibly dangerous as intracranial pressure can occur due to cancerous cells multiplying rapidly and taking up space in the brain, brain tumours can also occur as a result of this. The common effects of cancer in the bones are pain, weakness and raised calcium blood levels. This is due to cancer cell multiplication and pressure on bones and nerve cells, as calcium levels in blood increase the risk of unconsciousness increases.
Remission can occur in cancerous cells in the lung or any part of the body. Partial remission can occur in the disease, where the tumour has gotten smaller or there less cancerous cells throughout the body. In lung cancer, typical partial remission is the tumour reducing in size, and treatment can be stopped temporarily although it is possible that the tumour will begin to grow again. Complete remission of cancer cells is also a possibility, where all exams and tests show that the cancer is gone from the body- it doesn’t mean that the cancer has gone, as the cancerous cells can still be in lymph nodes or other parts of the body hidden from the tests that doctors take.
In conclusion, the most damaging part of the cancerous cells involved in lung cancer is the probability of invasion of the bloodstream into capillaries and other organs. This is the most dangerous stage of lung cancer where secondary tumours form around the body and weaken the immune system and organs so much so that they cannot function properly