Lung Cancer Stage 4
My Godfather has passed away last September 7 because of lung cancer. It was October last year when he diagnosed with lung cancer. Some causes of lung cancer are exposure to asbestos, radon gas and other chemical, family history of lung cancer, exposure to secondhand smoke and excessive smoking and alcohol use. At the earliest stage, there are no signs and symptoms. At later stage, some symptoms include: chest pain, wheezing, hoarseness, shortness of breath, coughing up blood even a small amount, chronic cough or a cough that doesn’t go away.
Stage 4 lung cancer means that the cancer is already spread to the parts of the body such as liver, bones or brain. Treatments available for stage 4 lung cancer include chemotherapy, clinical trials and targeted drug therapy. Chemotherapy uses drug to kill cancer cells. There are usually a series of chemotherapy session for a period of weeks or months.
The possible complication for lung cancer are pleural effusion (fluid in the chest), metastasis (cancer spreads to other parts of the body), and death. Fluid in the chest can cause shortness of breath and the available treatment is to drain the fluid and reduce the risk of pleural effusion again. Lung cancer can spread to other parts of the body such as opposite lung, bones, brain, liver and adrenal glands which cause pain, nausea and headache. Unfortunately, survival rates for lung cancer haven’t improved. People diagnosed at the earliest stages have the greater chances for a cure. But always remember that there is always a miracle that only God can perform.
September 23rd, 2009 | Tags: lung cancer stage 4 | Category: Cancer
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