By Dr. Jenny Hubball

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Respiratory System

Contents

  1. Statistics
  2. Risk Factors
  3. Types
  4. Signs and Symptoms
  5. Paraneoplastic Syndromes
  6. Staging and Management
  7. Quiz

Abstract

  • Lung cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK, with around 48,000 lung cancer-related deaths in the UK every year.
  • The biggest risk factor for developing lung cancer is smoking.
  • Symptoms of lung cancer include a persistent cough, dyspnoea, haemoptysis, chest pain, weight loss and malaise, although it is often asymptomatic.
  • Examples of paraneoplastic syndromes include hypercalcaemia, thrombocytosis and SIADH.
  • Lung malignancies are staged using the TNM staging system.

Core

Please note that this article is just an overview of lung cancer, and will mainly be focused on how lung cancer presents, and not on the specific treatment.

 

Statistics

Lung cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK and the leading cause of cancer death in both males and females, with around 34,000 lung cancer related deaths each year. The overall 5 year survival rate is around 10%, and in 2015 it was estimated that approximately 79% of lung cancers in the UK were preventable. (Source)

 

Risk Factors

The biggest risk factor for developing lung cancer is tobacco smoking.

Other less common risk factors include occupational carcinogens (namely asbestos and radon) and genetics.

 

Types

The main categories of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer and rare tumours.

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) make up around 80% of lung cancer diagnosis. Generally, non-small cell lung cancers metastasise slower, meaning localised treatment options like surgery are more successful.

  • Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for around 25 to 30% of lung cancers and can be associated with paraneoplastic syndromes such as PTHrP release (see later).
  • Adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype, accounting for around 40% of lung cancers, and is the type most commonly associated with non-smokers (source).
  • Large cell carcinoma makes up the remaining 5% of lung cancers attributed to NSCLC.

Small cell lung cancers make up around 15% of lung cancers, and are more commonly associated with paraneoplastic syndromes. They commonly metastasise rapidly, but are often chemo-responsive.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the pleura, and one of the main risk factors for this condition is asbestos exposure.

 

Quiz

Preview the Lung Cancer quiz

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