Get to know Lung Cancer, the silent threat that kills many Thai people lives

There are many types of cancer in Thailand. Lung cancer is the cause of many deaths in Thailand each year. The Statistic data from the National Cancer Institute indicates that 47 new patients were found per day in 2019 (around 17,222 people per year) which are

•          Male – 10766 people

•          Female – 6,456 people

Cause of Lung cancer

•         Air pollution in big cities, such as smoke from car exhausting pipes, people who work in the mining industry, such as nickel, radioactive substances.

•          Prolonged smoking – by 80% of the patient’s record states that 75% of patients are heavy smokers with at least 20 cigarettes per day for 20 years or more consecutively or at least 10 cigarettes per day for 30 years or more.

•          The scars inside the lung – results from a long-term chronic disease, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, which can progress a cancer.

Symptoms

1.         Dry cough at longer period than usual

2.         cough with mucus

3.         Coughing up blood, but blood is often mixed with sputum.

4.         Pneumonia, fever, chest pain

5.         Weight loss, loss of appetite, paleness, fatigue

6.         Hoarseness due to the spreading of cancer to the nerves around the larynx.

7.         Swollen face, neck, arms and upper chest due to papules.

8.         Difficulty in breathing and panting as the cancer grows. It causes lung space to get lessen which leads to insufficient of oxygen for the needs of the body.

9.         Difficulty in swallowing due to esophageal is pressurized.

10.       Pain due to spreading of cancer to bone, chest wall, etc.

11.       Paralysis due to spreading of cancer to the brain or spinal cord

Diagnosis

1.         by x-ray (lungs).

1.         2. by examining the coughed-up sputum, looking for cancer cells. Therefore, the smokers who have a chronic cough and people with ages 40-50 years and over should be examined according to the aforementioned method once a year.

Treatment

In general, the main principles of cancer treatment are:

•          Surgery

•          2. Radiation therapy

Prevention

There are several causes that promote the development of lung cancer. Some causes are difficult to prevent but one of the major causes from smoking is something that can be prevented by quitting. This will reduce the rate of lung cancer development, having a healthy life, and free from diseases caused by smoking.

For more information, please contact “Medicine department”, Vibhavadi hospital. Tel 0-2561-1111 (1221-2)