Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Secondary Lung Cancer - The Basics You Need To Know

Secondary lung cancer is the name for tumors in a cancer patient's lungs that are the result of cancer cells migrating from some other portion of the body. Even though it has metastasized to the lungs, these cancers are still considered part of the original cancer. The most likely cancers to do this are: breast cancers, bladder cancers, colon cancers, prostrate cancers, Wilms tumors, sarcomas, and nueroblastomas.

The spread of cancer to the lungs is usually a late-stage symptom of other cancers. In rare instances, secondary lung cancer can occur early in the disease progression and might not indicate more general spread of the cancer. The appearance of secondary cancer in the lungs still allows for a reasonable chance of survival, with a 30-40% fiver year survival rate for patients that undergo some form of surgery.

These cancers are generally discovered due to cancer patients developing the same symptoms seen in primary lung cancer patients, or during a full-body screen intended to identify any secondary tumors. CAT scans and PET scans both offer physicians an opportunity to identify and address these tumors at any point in the cancer treatment plan. Some of the symptoms that are a clear indication that a screening test may be in order include: shortness of breath, wheezing, a new or increased cough, or a cough that produces specks of blood.

Treatment of secondary cancer is very similar to that of other forms of non-small cell lung carcinoma. Because these cancers general present as single large tumors, collections of smaller tumors, or as infiltrations of the bronchial airways, surgery involving tumor or full lung removal is generally the first step. Follow on treatment depends on the type of primary cancer and the presentation of the secondary lung tumors.

On rare occasions, a secondary cancer actually allows for the discovery of a previously undiagnosed primary cancer. Referred to as adenocarcinoma of unknown primary (ACUP), genetic analysis of the lung tumor allows for a primary cancer diagnosis and treatment. Depending on the overall findings, doctors may recommend chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or some combination of these treatments.

Keep researching about these topics and keep an open mind about various treatments. Its amazing to learn how one person will respond very positively to a drug while others can be unaffected. This goes equally for natural treatments as well.

I for one know there's a ton of lung cancer information scattered all around the web, and I know it can be somewhat depressing to go through much of it. I have compiled all that researched so it might benefit others. I put many months of research into a useful guide. There's no charge of course and I think you'll appreciate the simplicity of it. Its at MyLungCancerGuide.com. While you are there, you'll find this article about secondary lung cancer and many other very straight forward, helpful articles.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.