Category Cancers

Everything You Need to Know About Lung Cancer

The Live-Doctors channel, sponsored by Retraite Plus, is proud to present an interview with Dr. Anatole Cessot, a medical oncologist at the Hartmann Institute, former clinical chief, and former hospital intern in Paris. Today, we will discuss lung cancers. Cancers are in the plural, as there are several types. That's what we will try to understand with Dr. Cessot, who will talk to us about the origins and treatments of these different lung cancers.

Bronchopulmonary Cancers

These are cancers that typically develop from the bronchi.

There are two main families of lung cancers that are differentiated under the microscope by the size and appearance of their cells:

Non-small cell lung cancers, which make up the majority of reported cases and have been subject to very precise classification in recent decades.

Small cell lung cancers, which are less common.

Symptoms of Lung Cancer

There are numerous symptoms, but here are the most common ones:

RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS: Persistent cough with or without an apparent cause; Recent onset of shortness of breath; Chest or shoulder pain; Productive cough with purulent or bloody sputum; Recurrent lung infections not controlled by antibiotics.

GENERAL SIGNS: Unusual fatigue; Recent loss of appetite; Weight loss.

OTHER SYMPTOMS: Voice changes (dysphonia); Wheezing during breathing; Swelling of the neck, face, and arms; Distended jugular veins...

Daily tobacco consumption in any form (commercial cigarettes or rolling tobacco, pipes, cigars, cigarillos, hookahs, etc.) is the leading factor responsible for the vast majority of lung cancers. In fact, 80% of these cancers are linked to the scourge of tobacco.

Incidence of Lung Cancers

- The incidence of lung cancer has been increasing in women since they have been affected by smoking. Conversely, the incidence in men has decreased as they reduce their smoking habits. The incidence of lung cancers has multiplied by seven over the past thirty years. This presents a real public health challenge: prevention and the fight against active and passive smoking. In this regard, the law prohibiting smoking in public places is an extremely positive step forward.