What is Lung Cancer

/Home/About Lung Cancer

What is Lung Cancer?
Nearly 170,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. While cigarette smoking is the main cause, anyone can develop lung cancer.

The lungs contain many different types of cells. Most cells in the lung are epithelial cells. These cells line the airways and produce mucus, which lubricates and protects the lung. The lung also contains nerve cells, hormone-producing cells, blood cells, and structural or supporting cells.

There are two major types of lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer (the most common) is believed to arise from epithelial cells. Small cell lung cancer is believed to arise from nerve cells or hormone-producing cells. The term “small cell” refers to the size and shape of the cancer cells seen under the microscope.

Lung cancer begins when cells in the lung grow out of control, and form a tumor. A lung tumor can begin anywhere in the lung. Once a lung tumor begins to grow, it may or may not shed cancer cells. These cells can travel through tiny tubes in the lung called lymphatic vessels, which drain into collecting stations called lymph nodes located in the lungs and the center of the chest. Cancer cells can also travel through blood vessels to distant sites in the body, where they can form other tumors. This process is known as metastasis.

Not all lung tumors metastasize. In general, small cell lung cancers are more likely to metastasize than non-small cell lung cancers, so the two types of lung cancer are treated in different ways. Lung cancer is always treatable, no matter the size, location, or if the cancer has spread.

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in one or both lungs. Lung cancer usually forms from cells that line the airways and nearby glands because these cells are what come in contact with the air we breathe which may contain carcinogens. In lung cancer, the changing of normal cells into cancerous cells usually happens over a period of years.