Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, affecting a diverse range of patients. In this video, Michaela Straznicka from BASS Medical Group discusses the complexities of lung cancer, including the various tumor types and the critical role of multidisciplinary treatment.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The patients who suffer from lung cancer can have a variety of different tumor types, and we do subclassify it into different tumor types. The treatment for lung cancer is complicated and involves many specialties working together. Eighty-five percent of patients who have lung cancer have some exposure to tobacco, whether personal tobacco use or secondhand smoke exposure. However, 15% of patients have no known risk factors. There is about 15% of patients who have no significant personal or secondhand smoke exposure. There are other risk factors associated with lung cancer, specifically environmental exposures to asbestos and radon gas. Some studies suggest that the use of wood-burning fireplaces in poorly ventilated areas can contribute to lung cancer. There is a possibility of a genetic predisposition to lung cancer, but fortunately, this only affects about 15% of patients. The great majority of patients, if you dig deep enough, will have some carcinogenic exposures that contribute to the formation of lung cancer. The challenge with lung cancer is that, oftentimes, by the time patients present with symptoms, they have developed pretty advanced cancer. The most common symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, weight loss, malaise, and overall fatigue. In those patients, the cancer has often spread to other locations, making treatment more complicated. Early-stage lung cancers are often found by accident or through screenings, and those patients have a higher chance of having an early-stage, or curable, cancer. Oftentimes, when patients present with a cough, shortness of breath, or wheezing, doctors may want to test them for asthma, emphysema, or bronchitis. Since those are much more common disease processes, it is appropriate to rule those out first. However, the symptoms of these conditions can mimic those of lung cancer. So if treatments for these benign conditions don’t improve the patient's symptoms, then doctors should dig deeper. My name is Michaela Straznicka, and I’m a proud member of the BASS Medical Group.
