Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer related death in Australia. Cancer starts when abnormal cells grow and multiply in an uncontrolled way. Cancer that begins from cells arising in the lungs is called primary lung cancer. If cancer begins in another part of the body and spreads to the lungs it is known as secondary or metastatic cancer to the lung.
Whilst smoking and family history are both risk factors for developing lung cancer, you do not have to be a smoker to develop lung cancer. It can be insidious and may have minimal or no symptoms at all. Symptoms for lung cancer may include breathlessness, cough, coughing up phlegm, coughing up blood, wheeze (a musical whistling noise from the chest) that won’t go away, chest pain, being off your food, unexplained weight loss, change or sudden loss in voice, facial swelling and many others.
Lung cancers may be incidentally picked up on a scan done for other reasons. Lung cancer may present as a “nodule” or “mass” or “subsolid nodules” or “ground glass nodules” or “enlarged lymph nodes” on a CT scan. As it is a very complex subspecialty, the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer may require a number of tests so that your specialist can recommend the best and most appropriate treatment for you. Tests may include blood tests, CT scan, PET scan, ultrasound or CT guided biopsy, bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound guided biopsy and lung function test.
A new diagnosis of lung cancer maybe a very difficult time for you and your family and may come with a feeling of shock, distress, anxiety or confusion. At Sydney West Respiratory and Sleep Centre, we run one of the largest lung cancer practices in Sydney. Come and make an appointment with one our experienced and caring team of specialists to help guide you through this difficult journey and devise an individualised treatment plan most suitable for you.
