Lung cancer: Symptoms, treatment options and more

Lung cancer occurs when cells in the lung undergo genetic changes. There are either mutations, fusions, alterations or deletions, and these changes result in abnormal growth, typically a nodule, which is a sign of cancer growth. Lung cancer is a common disease, the third most common cancer in the United States and the cancer that more Americans die from than any other cancer.

Professor and director of The Lung Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Shanda Blackmon, says that her grandfather’s diagnosis of lung cancer is one of the reasons she now works with patients to treat it.

“I actually helped to diagnose him,” said Blackmon, professor in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery. “By the time he presented [with lung cancer], it was very advanced. “It is important to advocate for patients to get staged for lung cancer before they agree to any treatment.”

At Baylor Sr. Luke’s Medical Center, she and other physicians in the Lung Institute focus on a minimally invasive approach to treating lung cancer, either robotically or using a camera inserted through the chest.

“We try to spare the lung with a segmentectomy and not perform a lobectomy when we don’t need to,” Blackmon said.

Below, Blackmon explains everything about lung cancer, including symptoms to be aware of, how it is contracted and the treatment options available.

Question: How does one get lung cancer?
Answer: About 80% of lung cancer cases come from tobacco smoke. About 12% of lung cancer cases come from “never smokers.”

Lung cancer can be environmental, genetic predisposition or exposure to other things and sometimes secondhand smoke. You can also get lung cancer from radon exposure.

Q: What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
A: Unfortunately, most lung cancer patients don’t develop symptoms until they are very advanced, which is why we recommend lung cancer screening. Lung cancer screenings are recommended for people older than 50 who have had a history of smoking for more than 20 years.

Symptoms can include:

• Coughing up blood.
• Wheezing.
• Shortness of breath.
• Fluid in the lung, causing shortness of breath.
• Chest pain if the cancer is growing into the rib.

Q: Is there a way to prevent lung cancer?
A: Limit your exposure to carcinogens. If you stop smoking, you can lower your lung cancer risk.

Q: What are the treatment options for patients with lung cancer?
A: There are a variety of options. If lung cancer is caught early, you can get surgery, and it can be curative.

Other treatment options include radiation, surgery, medical treatment with chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy. The type of treatment you get is determined by what stage of lung cancer you are in and what kind of physical shape you are in to undergo different types of treatment.

By Taylor Barnes