There Is More Than One Way To Get Lung Cancer
Cancer is one of the scariest words that a person can hear from their doctors mouth. Although there are treatments for cancer there is no cure and for a person who has been diagnosed with cancer that is generally the first thought that comes into their minds, are they going to live. This is particularly true of lung cancer because it is in an area that a person cannot live without, the lungs. What's more, there is a certain stigma about this kind of cancer because so many people believe that that only way to get lung cancer is by smoking. While it is true that 90% of people with lung cancer got it from smoking, there are other ways to get cancer as well. For example, asbestos is one way that a person gets cancer. Asbestos is a rock that when converted into fibers is resistant to heat, cold, stress, etc. making it, what seemed to be, a perfect building material. This material was used during the building of schools and office buildings around the world until nearly every school and office building had the material. However, it was determined that individuals who inhaled the fibers (due to construction, breakage, etc.) were at risk for illness, including lung cancer. Another way that a person gets lung cancer is because of a virus. However, this is a newer discover and not much information is known about the direct cause or if the treatment for this kind of cancer is different than other kinds. A more common cause of lung cancer is exposure to radon gas which is produced by uranium. Although exposure does not always lead to lung cancer, it is only second to smoking as a cause for this kind of cancer. This is because uranium is not just a concern for people who live near nuclear power plants, uranium is in the earth's crust all around the world, however, it is more concentrated in certain areas where the risk for exposure is higher. There are many signs of lung cancer such as shortness of breath, coughing up blood, problems swallowing, excessive consistent coughing, weight loss, fatigue, and more. However, having these symptoms does not necessarily equate to lung cancer and not having these symptoms does not meant that you do not have lung cancer. It is important that if you smoke that (you quit of course) you have regular check ups to ensure that you have not gotten this disease. |
