Smoking is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer, and this is especially true of small cell carcinoma, the type of lung cancer that is blamed for the death of “Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond at 44.
‘This cruel, relentless form of malignant cancer has been diagnosed in him. “At that time, it was able to spread rapidly through its system,” Roger Paul, a spokesman for the actor, told NBC News.
“The only mercy he showed was its sharp and swift execution.”
The disease weighs heavily on Americans: Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and women in the United States. It is also the leading cause of death from cancer.
What are the types of lung cancer?
Most people consider lung cancer to be one disease, but there are actually two main types that grow differently:
Non-small cell lung cancer: according to the American Cancer Society, it is the most common type, accounting for 80-85% of cases.
Small cell lung cancer: identified as the cause of Diamond’s death, it is much rarer, accounting for about 10-15% of all cases, but it grows and spreads faster than the other species. By the time most patients are diagnosed, this cancer will be metastasized outside the lungs. Diamond has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, the most advanced type.
What causes lung cancer?
About 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, and many others are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, the American Cancer Society has noted.
Current and former smokers are at greatest risk for small cell lung cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although it is rare for small lung cancer to be diagnosed in a non-smoker, it can happen.
Other risk factors include older age; a family history of lung cancer; exposure to asbestos, arsenic, chromium, beryllium, nickel, soot or tar in the workplace; exposure to radiation therapy, certain imaging tests or radon at home or at work; air pollution or an HIV infection.
Sometimes lung cancer affects people with no known risk factors for the disease. “There’s a stigma associated with lung cancer, where people think, ‘If someone never smoked, they would never get lung cancer,'” said Dr. Helena Yu, a medical oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. in New York, said.
What are lung cancer symptoms?
Lung cancer in the early stage that has not spread often causes no symptoms. If warning signs appear, the American Lung Association says it includes the following:
- a cough that does not go away and gets worse over time
- hoarseness
- chest pain often aggravated by deep breathing, coughing or laughing
- shortness of breath
- frequent lung infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia
- cough up blood
- loss of appetite
- unexplained weight loss
- fatigue
There is no good way to look for lung cancer early. For now, the best advice is to get screened for lung cancer each year if you have a history of heavy smoking and are 55 or older, experts said.
What is the treatment?
Small cell lung cancer grows rapidly, so it responds well to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery, immunotherapy and laser therapy can also be used.
Non-small cell lung cancer has the following options, including targeted therapy, cryosurgery, photodynamic therapy, and electrocautery. The combination of treatments can be more effective than relying on one approach.
Lung cancer is treatable but not curable, so it can return.
What is the survival rate of lung cancer?
More than half, 56%, of people whose lung cancer is caught before it spreads to other parts of the body live five years after diagnosis, according to the American Lung Association.
The number drops to 5% for patients whose lung cancer has spread to other organs. More than half of people with lung cancer die within one year of being diagnosed.
