World Lung Cancer Day: Early detection and treatment can make a big difference

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. In 2023, it is estimated that 238,340 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the US, and 127,070 people will die from the disease. The most common cause of lung cancer is smoking. Smoking accounts for about 80% of all lung cancer deaths. If you have any concerns about lung cancer, please talk to your doctor. There are many things you can do to reduce your risk of developing lung cancer, and early detection and treatment can make a big difference in the outcome of the disease.

Here we spoke to Dr V Denesh Reddy, Consultant Pulmonology, Apollo Hospitals, he spoke about the other risk factors for lung cancer include:

1. Lung cancer is potentially fatal cancer type, but people who receive on early diagnosis have good chance of survival.

2. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLS) is the commonest type of lung cancer which includes different histological tumor types adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma.

3. With 2 million cases diagnosed and 1.6 million deaths every year, lung cancer is 3rd most common, cancer and most common is males.

4. Smoking is the major risk factor and having exposure to smoke, inhaled chemicals can increase the risk, as well as genetic susceptibility seen.

5. Absence of overt clinical symptoms and lack of awareness of symptoms and effective screening programmes often delay in diagnosis until symptoms develop in later stages, which limits treatment options.

6. Diagnosis of the cancer in early stages by X-ray / CT & PET scan and collecting biopsy sample to identify the stage of the tumour may be helpful to guide for the effective treatment.

7. Screening with CT scan might be useful in highrisk population – smoker’s more than 55 years age.

8. NSCLC – Treatment should be adopted to the disease stage and tumor characteristics.

Besides surgical resection and chemo-radio therapy drugs targeting specific disease mutations have major role in management.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors against EGFR, ALK and ROS1 are available

Other options include inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and immunotherapy.

9. Cessation of smoking should be encouraged in all age groups NSCLS – development is driven by genetic mutations caused by carcinogen exposure.

10. Tumours of smokers contain approximately 10 mutations per megabase of DNA compared to non-smokers who have 10 times fewer mutations.

11. Avoid second hand smoke

12. Follow a balance diet.