Lung Cancer as a Chronic Disease - Essay Example

Lung Cancer Cancer is one of the most frightening diseases of the modern world. It affects different organs of the body. No country seems to be free from the evil effects of cancer disease. Even though, medical science has advanced a lot, a complete cure or remedy for cancer diseases is still unavailable. Many treatment options like radiation therapy and chemotherapy are currently used in the treatment of cancer based on the nature and seriousness of the diseases. The exact reasons for cancer diseases are yet to be known. It is believed that smoking, alcoholism, pollutions, increased use of pesticides and chemicals in the agricultural lands, changing life styles, etc are some of the commonly cited reasons for cancer diseases. At the same time, a lot of newborn babies and children are also affected by cancer disease. In other words, the role of heredity or genetics in causing cancer cannot be neglected. Cancer diseases are divided into different categories based on the organs upon which it attacks. Lung cancer, blood cancer or Leukemia, skin cancer etc are some of the major types of cancer disease. Lung cancer seems to be one of the most chronic types of cancer diseases. According to Witschi, Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in irrespective of gender differences in the US. More than 158,900 deaths were reported in US in 1999 due to lung cancer. Moreover, globally, Witschi pointed out that lung cancer kills over 1 million people in every year. Many of the researches conducted on lung cancer have proved the clear and direct associations in between smoking and lung cancer. Smoking is cited as the major reason for lung cancer. At the same time, there are many nonsmokers who happen to be the victims of lung cancer. It is believed that second hand smoke is as dangerous as first hand smoke in causing lung cancer. Moreover, genetics play an important role in causing lung cancer. In other words, apart from smoking, the exposure to second hand smoke as well as genetics play an important role in causing lung cancer. Even though lung cancer is common all over the world at present, it was not so around 150 years before. Witschi pointed out that the reported lung cancer diseases in 1878 were only 1% of the total diseases in the world. However, the percentage had risen to 10% by 1918 and 14% by 1927. In other words, a sharp increase was recorded in the case of lung cancer during the early parts of the twentieth century. Earlier, lung cancer diseases were seen commonly among the men only. But later, it started to increase among the females also. This could be because of the fact that majority of the females were nonsmokers earlier and they started smoking habits during the later parts of twentieth century. The exact reasons of lung cancer were unknown earlier. Increased air pollution by gases and dusts, caused by industry; the asphalting of roads; the increase in automobile traffic; exposure to gas in World War I; the influenza pandemic of 1918; and working with benzene or gasoline were suspected as the reasons for lung cancer earlier (Witschi). Even though all these factors can cause lung cancer in one way or another, scientists found that the prevalence of lung cancer is more or less same in under developed countries compared to that in developed countries. Therefore, medical experts started to research this topic with more interests and their research was successful in identifying smoking as the most important reason for lung cancer. It should be noted that smoking is common in all countries irrespective of developed or underdeveloped. Today, it is well known to everybody that lung cancer is caused mainly by smoking. Brizer (2003, p.10), mentioned that the ingredients of tobacco smoke are similar to the smoke that comes out from industrial units. Along with nicotine, the cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, tar and literally thousands of other chemicals, dozens of which are known to harm the body. Even though nicotine is the major villain, as many as 4,000 other chemicals are involved in in tobacco smoke. All the chemicals have the ability to cause health problems like lung cancer in one way or another. Smoking has the ability to cause lung cancer later in the life of a person. For example, According to Amina Khan mentioned that former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was not at all a smoker while he was affected by lung cancer. However, he was a smoker earlier in his life. In other words, it is not necessary that a smoker escapes from lung cancer threats, once he stops his smoking habits. According to Brizer (2003, p.21) German researchers were able to prove the association of cancer with smoking. Moreover, a study conducted by Mong et al. (2011, p.1) among lung cancer patients, yielded the following results; 1) 77% of the lung cancer patients have smoking history. 2) 11.3% of the patients were current smokers. 3) The period between smoking cessation to cancer diagnosis was Read More