Lung cancer is the most common cancer in men and the second commonest in women ,after cancer of the breast. There are about 40,000 new cases of lung cancer a year in the UK, the majority of which occur in people over the age of 45. There are different types of lung cancer depending on which type of cell in the lungs becomes malignant (cancerous).

There is also another type of cancer occurring in the lung cavity, but this is actually a malignancy of the lining of the lungs and is called ‘mesothelioma’.

Causes

Cigarette smoking is by far the most important cause of lung cancer. Giving up smoking leads to a gradual reduction in the risk of developing lung cancer with each year that passes after stopping.

Other factors involved in the development of this illness include environmental irritants such as fumes, radioactivity, and high concentrations of radon gas in certain parts of the country.

For many years lung cancer has been commoner in men than in women, but the number of cases in women has risen and is now coming close to that in men. During that period the number of women smoking cigarettes has progressively increased. The risk of inducing lung cancer is proportional to the amount smoked and the death rate in heavy cigarette smokers is about 40 times that in non-smokers.

Treatment

In some cases if the tumour is limited to one lobe (section) of one lung, surgical removal of the lobe or lung may offer the best chance of survival. Unfortunately, this is so only in about one case in five. In other cases radiotherapy or chemotherapy can help to treat the condition but unfortunately in most situations is only likely to prolong life rather than cure the condition.

Even when cure is not a possibility much can be done to reduce the symptoms caused by the illness, and practical and moral support is provided by such agencies as Marie Curie or MacMillan nurses, and hospices around the country.