-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
respiratory system
lung cancer
diagnoses
definition and etiology
definition:
Malignant primary or metastasized tumor in the lungs.
etiology:
The typical patient is between 40-70 years old (esp. 55-65).
The lung is a site for both primary tumors and, very often, metastases from other organs (breast, colon, kidney, thyroid, testis, bone and prostate). Most lung cancers are clearly associated with cigarette smoking, which explains the continual rise in lung cancers in women paralleling their increase in smoking. Primary lung malignancy is the most common cause of death from cancer. Tumor types are defined as being squamous cell, oat cell, undifferentiated large cell, and adenocarcinoma.
signs and symptoms
signs and symptoms:
Depends on tumor extent, type and location.
Cough: Not excessive, but typically contains blood and inflammatory exudate.
Bleeding: Uncommon.
Local wheezing.
Atelectasis.
Infection.
Chest pain.
Weight loss, fatigue, anorexia.
Symptoms more specifically relating to the area of the tumor: superior vena cava syndrome, e.g. in tumors that obstruct the venous drainage, or thoracic outlet syndrome in Pancoast tumors.
Extrapulmonary manifestations: are many and varied: clubbing of fingers and toes; encephalopathy; polymyositis; Cushing's syndrome; carcinoid syndrome; polycythemia.
lab findings:
Sputum cytology.
Chest X-ray.
Tumor biopsy.
course and prognosis
Treatment and survival estimation is based on the type of tumor and staging classification of the tumor. Conventional treatments include lung resection or other surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. In general, the prognosis is very poor for patients with bronchogenic malignancies, with the 5-year survival rate less than 10%. Even in patients with small, clearly circumscribed, slow growing tumors, the 5-year survival rate is only 25-40%. Prophylaxis by avoiding smoking is strongly recommended.
differential diagnosis
Foreign bodies.
Pneumonia.
Tuberculosis.
Systemic mycoses.
Autoimmune disease.
footnotes