Lung Cancer

Almost 40,000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK.

In this article:

What is lung cancer?

Diagnosis

How Chemist Online can help

Symptoms

Effect on your life

Advice & Support

Causes

Treatment

What is lung cancer?
Cancer is a disease where abnormal cells in the body begin to grow, divide and reproduce in an uncontrollable way. These abnormal cells then invade and destroy healthy tissue, including organs.

Lung cancer (cancer of the lung) develops where cells in the lung grow and multiply at an abnormal rate, rather than growing, dividing and then dying off before being replaced by new cells – the human body’s normal mechanism.

Symptoms
Symptoms of lung cancer include:

coughing

breathing problems (where lung cancer is preventing you from getting enough air to your lungs)

fever

coughing up blood

repeated chest infections (bronchitis and pneumonia)

chest pains

problems when swallowing

hoarseness of voice that gradually worsens with time

loss of appetite

weight loss

fatigue and a feeling of weakness

Causes
Lung cancer can be caused by:

smoking

passive smoking (the involuntary inhalation of smoke, when tobacco smoke permeates your environment)

the spreading of cancerous tumours from other areas of the body

Diagnosis
A diagnosis of lung cancer can be based upon an individual’s symptoms, physical examination results and screening test results.

If you are suffering from the aforementioned symptoms and suspect that you may have lung cancer, arrange an appointment with your GP. After taking your medical history and asking you some questions about your symptoms, he or she will examine the affected area by listening to your breathing with a stethoscope. You will then be asked to have a chest X-ray. Upon receiving the results of the X-ray, your GP will make a decision as to whether you need to be referred to a hospital specialist.

To get a confirmed diagnosis of lung caner (or to rule it out) the specialist may carry out the following tests:

A CT scan – to get a closer look into your chest than an X-ray can achieve

A bronchoscopy – your doctor is able to look deep inside your lungs by passing a bronchoscope (a flexible tube with a minute camera on the end) through your mouth or nose into your lungs

Effect on your life
Being diagnosed with lung cancer can be a traumatic and shocking experience. Upon receiving the news you will probably only see the bleakest scenario.

Through consultations you will be encouraged to ask any questions, even if you fear they may seem trivial to someone else. Cancer nurse specialists are attuned to responding to your questions and will understand your needs. If possible, it is advisable to take someone who is emotionally strong with you to your consultations, to act as a support.

Lung cancer will obviously have an enormous impact on your life. But the good news is that, for many people, there is life after cancer.

Treatment
Treatments for lung cancer include:

Surgery – where either just the affected part of a lung or the entire lung is removed

Radiotherapy – high energy radiation beams are focused upon the cancerous area, killing the cancerous cells, preventing the disease from spreading, and unblocking airways to allow for better breathing

Chemotherapy – where chemical agents/drugs are administered in order to kill cancer cells

How Chemist Online can help
Through this website we have a range of products available to buy which can help you in your bid to give up smoking, such as: Niquitin CQ Patches – an effective and easy way to quit smoking under Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). The patches contain nicotine and are worn directly on the skin. A steady dose of nicotine is released into your body and helps you to quit smoking round the clock. Since the product works for 24 hours, you will not feel unpleasant at any time of the day.

We also have available to buy Crafe Away – The Smokeless Cigarette which contains none of the harmful products of smoking (like nicotine and tar). Crafe Away Smokeless Cigarettes can help you give up and replace the hand-to-mouth action that some smokers miss after they give up smoking. They can also last up to 4 to 5 times longer than a normal cigarette and can be used in non-smoking areas.



www.chemistonline.co.uk


Advice & Support
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
Tel: 0800 358 7200
Website: www.roycastle.org

British Lung Foundation
Tel: 08458 50 50 20
Website: www.lunguk.org

Macmillan Cancer Support
Tel: Helpline 0808 800 1234 (free phone)
Tel: 020 7739 2280 (standard rate)
Website: http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Home


This information and advice is not intended to replace the advice of your GP or chemist. Chemist Online is also not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based upon the content of the Chemist Online website. Chemist Online is also not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.


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