Lung cancer
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What is lung cancer?
- Primary lung cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in one or both lungs1
- Secondary lung cancer develops when cancer cells from another type of cancer, e.g. breast cancer, travel to the lungs via the bloodstream1
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Types of lung cancer
- There are three main types of lung cancer:2
- Non-small-cell lung cancer2
- Small-cell lung cancer2
- Lung carcinoid tumour2
- Types of lung cancer are classified according to the cells in which the cancer starts3
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Who gets lung cancer?
- Lung cancer is more common in people aged over 65 years, and the average age at diagnosis is 70 years3,4
- It is much more common in males than in females5,6
- It is far more common in smokers than in non-smokers3,7
- It is the most common cancer worldwide8
- 8 million new cases were diagnosed worldwide in 20128
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Screening, detection, and diagnosis
- Chest X-ray, sputum tests, and low-dose spiral CT have been studied to see whether they reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer; low-dose spiral CT screening is the only test that might decrease this risk, in heavy smokers9
- The following tests may be used to diagnose lung cancer:
- Imaging tests such as X-ray, CT, and PET10
- Biopsy taken during bronchoscopy procedure10
- Other types of biopsy8
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Patient guidelines
A patient guideline is a document containing information for patients and their families about their disease and the treatment options available to them
Here is a link to the European patient guideline on non-small-cell lung cancer11
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Local support groups
Contacting a support group may help you during diagnosis and treatment and afterwards
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Infographics
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