Lung cancer is the deadliest type of cancer out there. Statistics show an increasing rate of incidence as well as death occurrence alongside the development of cigarette industry. Unfortunately smokers are not the only ones exposed to this terrible infliction and apart from being deadly in most cases, lung cancer also affects a myriad of other body parts especially during metastasis.
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Curiously enough, early on in its development not many symptoms are noticeable but along the way your entire body can simply collapse. Almost 25% of patients don't manifest any symptoms at the moment of diagnosis and that's why many times it is discovered accidentally. At that moment the cancer takes the form of a small tumor, the size and shape of a coin. As the cancerous cells grow the cancer becomes invasive and both lung tissue and nearby tissue are affected. Slowly, the tumor begins to push against the chest. Starting from here you are bound to experience more and more effects. Persistent cough and aching and constant chest pains are the dominant symptoms.



The body is weakened by the cancer as well as by the treatment, many times the more effective the more aggressive. Other symptoms are shortness of breath, recurring respiratory ailments and complications like bronchitis and pneumonia. Coughing is most likely the first symptom to appear and you must be very careful not to treat it lightly and not to underestimate its significance. Needless to say that is you see the slightest sign of blood in the sputum you should immediately seek medical attention.

Once the cancer metastizes your body is completely at the mercy of the cancer and different parts of the body are affected in many different ways. The cancer can spread to the liver and the adrenal glands but until that point it is still too subtle to detect. Once it reaches the brain symptoms begin to kick in and you can have vision problems, seizures and you can even lose strength in one side of the body.

The cancer can also spread to the bones and can produce great pain and discomfort in the backbone, ribs or thighs. Immense pain can radiate from the shoulder to the outer arms once the cancer affects the nerves.

Other symptoms include paralysis of the vocal chords and this can also include difficulty swallowing once the cancer extends to the esophagus.



Eventually the lung is likely to collapse any moment and is constantly susceptible to infections.

Lung cancer has great potential to disrupt your entire organism and the side effects of treatment add to this and headaches, sluggishness, impaired memory, weight loss and depression can become daily issues with great impact on your sleeping and eating habits and while you undergo the treatment you are most likely to be unable to live a normal life. Support from family members and friends are essential to maintain some balance in their lives and help them see beyond the disease and not lose hope.

Lung cancer is known as one of the severest cases of cancer because the mortality rate is extremely big meaning that a percentage of 85 or 90 per cent of the total people who are diagnosed with lung cancer die till the end of the five year survival rate which they are given the moment when they are diagnosed so a number of over one million people die each year killed by this terrible disease which does not show any mercy .
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Other major problem of this disease are the various and multiple complications that people with this disease develop many complications .There can be fluid in the lungs and this has many further effects on the body because with the help of the fluid the cancer can spread to other parts of the body and it can affect healthy cells . And many complications occur and it is important for patients to know what happens when lung cancer spreads .

The first and most common effect are : disturbances of hormones , blood or other systems can be harmed but these can also occur as side effects of the applied treatments ; but those effect are only the beginning because new health problems will develop and there will be affected organs like : liver , brains and bone cancer .

Metastasis to the bones is one usual effect of cancer on body in advanced stages but also can happen when the lung tumors develop small cancer cells . Metastasis to bones is felt by bone pains , usually in the backbone , thighbones and ribs . Other step of the progression of the disease is when lung metastatic cancer affects the brain . Cancer gives many difficulties to the patients and they can have problems : vision , weakness on one side of the body or even both and it can also affect seizures .

The lung cancer can also spread to thyroid and give many hormones problem and can also reach the heart . The fluid full of cancerous cells can gradually develop in the space between the lungs and the chest wall , which is called pleural effusions .Then there is little oxygen left in the lungs and the levels drop very low and the patient can not breath and this is followed by heart problems because the right side of the heart grows too much and reaches great sized and it can lead to heart failure or pulmonary hypertension and it can end with the death of the patient .

As you can see what happens when lung cancer spreads on body it is very rough . The patient has to deal with the problems of the lung cancer and its treatment but also he has to be applied a treatment for healing lung cancer and also for preventing the other side effects or to try to minimize them at a minimum level . The survival rate of lung cancer is small but associated with this kind of effects it is even smaller .

Lung cancer kills annually more than 1.18 million people this means that a percentage of over 85 or 90 per cent of the total people who are diagnosed with this type of disease eventually die . What is more curios is that over 90% of the total numbers of deaths is caused by smoking but it has also other causes such as : radon gas , asbestos , viruses , particulate matter but all this causes together do not cause more than 10 per cent of the total number of diagnosed people but also by the total number of deaths cause by this type of cancer .
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The numbers are so cruel because the majority of patients are diagnosed when they are already in advanced stages of cancer and the treatment can not have so many effects and the five year survival rate is poorer .

Other major issue about this type of cancer is the fact that patients who suffer of this disease often develop many other complications of other parts and organs of the body . So the patient can experience : disturbances of hormones , blood or other systems can be harmed and also lung cancer often can affect the liver , the adrenal glands , the bones or the brain ; these affections can be side effects of the treatments which were applied to the patients or as complications of the cancer when it is metastatic

More effects occur when lung ,metastatic cancer affects the brain .So if lung cancer metastasized to brain , the complications which appear are grave and cause the patient many existential problems : vision , weakness on one side of the body or even both and it can also affect seizures .

But this is not all because many other complications may occur if the lung cancer is metastatic and it can affect many other parts of the body . If the patient develop metastatic cancer , it is important to point out that it usually affects the liver , but it does not cause symptoms . The same problem occurs also when the cancer affects the adrenal glands .

Metastasis to the bones is one of effects of cancer on body especially in advances fazes of the cancer when the tumors develop small cancer cells . In this case the patient experiences pains , usually in the backbone , thighbones and ribs . Other type of complication it is caused when there is fluid in the lungs because the level of oxygen in blood drop and it leads to shortness of breath , the right side of the heart enlarges and it can lead to a possible heart failure which is called by doctors as pulmonary hypertension .

Fluid on heart and lung cancer metastasized to brain are one of the most deadly complications that can occur if there appear delays in diagnosing the lung cancer of delays in treatment because the lung cancer easily spreads and can cause a terrible death .

Lung cancer kills annually 1.18 million people and over 90% of the total cases registered are caused by smoking but it has also other causes such as : radon gas , asbestos , viruses , particulate matter but none of this has registered so many infected person with lung cancer as smoking . It is a very rough disease because 85% of the discovered cased die within the first 5 years . This number is so big because lung cancer is really hard to detect in early stages  . Most of the patients are diagnosed with advanced levels of cancer  and it becomes hard to cure and to establish each treatment fits every patient . The type of treatment that can be applied to every patient depends very much on several factors : the type of lung cancer , the stage of cancer , the way the cells grow , the size of the tumor , where it is placed and the way other parts of the body have been affected .

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The patients present besides  , the lung cancer symptoms  which has to do  with the effects of the tumors , other effects which are linked with the metastatic tumors in other parts of their bodies . The most common symptoms of cancer are  : terrible cough , shortness of breath , chest pain , coughing blood , feeling tired always , losing weight without diet or making any sport at all . Sometimes you can have  fluid in the lungs and this has another effect on body because cancer can spread to other parts of the body and cells which are normal can become infected with carcinogens.  There can be : disturbances of hormones , blood or other systems can be harmed  and apart from these can appear effects due to the treatment applied , or to the type of cancer or whether the lung cancer is metastatic or not . Lung cancer often can affect the liver , the adrenal glands , the bones or the brain.



If we refer to metastatic cancer , it is important to point out that if it affects the liver , it does  not  cause symptoms even if the cancer has been discovered . Such a problem occurs also when the cancer affects the adrenal glands . Metastasis to the bones is one of the most common effects of cancer on body especially if the tumors develop small cancer cells . Such effects cause bone pains , usually in the backbone , thighbones and ribs .

More effects occur when lung ,metastatic cancer affects the brain . It can cause many difficulties : the patients starts to have problems with : vision , weakness on one side of the body or even both and it can also affect seizures .



So it is important to take care of our health and to avoid as much as possible the factors that can create really big health problems . If you think smoking – the main cause for lung cancer – it is easier to quit than to cure lung cancer the many other effects that is has on body .

Lung cancer has a serial of effects on individuals, both physical and psychological. The psychological effects of lung cancer include anxiety, depression or post traumatic stress disorder with very strong consequences on the individual. Those who suffer from lung cancer start wondering how this will change their life or the way they work and will be reflected on their family relations, determining a serious depression. Anxiety often appears with depression and form an exhausting condition of the individual. Psychological advising can be a useful way to pass this stressful period both for the patient and his family.

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Besides the psychological effects, the treatments used with the purpose to cure the disease, often have side effects of the health of the patient. Following the surgical procedure, patients may experience difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, pain, and weakness. The risks of surgery can include complications due to bleeding, infection, and complications of general anesthesia.



Unfortunately, chemotherapy, given as pills, as an intravenous infusion, or as a combination of the two, has serious effects. The drugs used in chemotherapy kill normally dividing cells in the body, resulting in unpleasant side effects. Damage to blood cells can result in increased susceptibility to infections and difficulties with blood clotting. Other side effects include fatigue, weight loss, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and mouth sores. The side effects of chemotherapy vary according to the dosage and combination of drugs used and may also vary regarding the individual general medical history and health.

Radiation therapy does not carry the risks of major surgery, but it can have unpleasant side effects, including fatigue and lack of energy. If the digestive organs are in the field exposed to radiation, patients may experience nausea, lost of appetite, changes in taste perception, vomiting or diarrhea.



As well, in the process of treatment can appear other complications and side effects. Advanced lung cancer that spreads from the lung to another area of the body can cause great pain and medications, radiation therapy and other treatments may help dealing with the pain, but the pain doesn’t go away. If discovered to late, if it has spread to another area of the body, or the whole body, treatments can not be useful. So, one of the lung cancer effects, the last one, is death. Unfortunately, survival rates for people diagnosed with lung cancer are very low. In most cases, the disease is fatal. So, effects of lung cancer depend as well on the type of treatment used. Although uncommon, some treatments may produce some long-term effects. Before choosing one or another type of treatment, the patient and his doctors must know all the facts and particularities of the disease, to be able to adapt the specific treatment.

Lung cancer is a disease of the lung and it consists of uncontrollable cell growth in the lung tissue. It kills up to 160.000 people each year in the US. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death among all cancer related deaths and it kills more people than breast, prostate and colon cancer together in both men and women. Lung cancer is usually caused by smoking, exposure to environmental smoking, exposure to harmful chemicals like asbestos, arsenic, radon, as well as by air pollution.

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Unfortunately lung cancer is rarely detected early in its development. When it is discovered early it is often done by accident, while investigating other conditions. The reason for this is that early symptoms are mild, can be easily attributed to other conditions, but also because of ignorance. When the cancer is not detected early on it will usually spread to other organs.



In fact in most cases when the cancer is discovered it has already metastasized. The cells in the malignant tumors are able to spread to neighboring organs and cause several tumors in the new organs. The cells can also get into the bloodstream and spread to other organs distant to the initial ill organ.

The lung cancer usually metastasizes to organs like adrenal glands, the liver, the bones and the brain. Spreading of the cancer to these areas will typically cause some specific symptoms. Whereas metastatic cancer to the liver or adrenal glands will show no additional symptoms, the spread to the brain will be shown by symptoms such as vision changes or difficulties with vision, weaknesses in one side of the body, possibly seizures and headaches. When spreading to the bones these there will typically be new pains in areas like backbone, the ribs or the thighbones.

Lung cancer causes or contributing factors are by now at least partly known. Smoking is known to be responsible for the most deaths from lung cancer amongst all of the contributing causes. It is apparently followed by second hand smoking and exposure to certain chemicals. Smoking is an intentional behavior performed by a person. Smoking may be physically and psychologically addictive however it remains a behavior that can be unlearned especially in our times, when free counseling is provided.



These are unpleasant but true facts; suffering from lung cancer, going through testing and invasive treatments is extremely unpleasant and often painful, most often that not resulting in death. You may be bringing this upon yourself by continuing to smoke, but you may also be responsible of causing lung cancer in other people, probably your loved ones, by exposing them to environmental smoking. Unlearning a behavior may be difficult, but it can be done with the appropriate motivation.