Emphysema is a condition through which lung tissue is destroyed and obstructs air flow and the development of enlarged air sacs. This disease is almost ten times more common than lung cancer though obviously not as deadly. About 1,600,000 patients have been diagnosed with this disease in the US alone in one year. Most patients with lung cancer have also been diagnosed with emphysema.

This is also an affection most commonly linked with smoking as 75% of all cases occur in smokers. This gradual obstruction of the airways requires you to use more energy for ventilating your lungs. Symptoms that can be experienced include shortness of breath and a limited ability to exercise. Alongside, chronic bronchitis, emphysema reduces the patient's chances of safely recovering from lung cancer treatments like surgical interventions and radiation therapy. They also have difficulty with coughing out secretions and clearing the airways and also in breathing to the point that respiratory failure and even death can occur.



This kind of destruction of the lung's tissue is brought about or amplified by smoking, which has been proven to make all people mush more vulnerable to lung cancer in particular but also cancer in general, as it can seriously harm the immune system.

Specialized tests and diagnosing emphysema is essential, as results from these tests and information about the patient's medical history and medical examination can help the surgeon to predict and establish the risks and the impact or surgical procedures on the body and the cancer. This enables the oncologist to predict whether you risk to have a disability as a result of the surgery.



You must know that there is also another cause for developing emphysema, apart from smoking. This abnormal increase of the airspaces distal to the last bronchiole is also caused by a genetical predisposition, particularly an enzyme deficiency that is estimated to be present in between five thousand and ten thousand Americans. The treatment most commonly associated with emphysema, though tests and trials have yet to prove its safety and effectiveness, is the lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS). This has stimulated a lot of debates especially since there's a close battle between indications and contraindications of surgery in the early stages of lung cancer.

Research goes on and there's always significant variation with every individual case so it would be better to consult your oncologist for an accurate prognosis and treatment plan.

Unfortunately, emphysema is not something you can easily live with as half of the patients with emphysema complain about the limitation this affection brings in their daily activities. Your best chance against it is close monitoring of your health, detecting the inherited predisposition on time and, of course, choosing not to smoke.