Author of this article:Qiao VIP, Chief Physician of Thoracic Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital
Doctor Joe VIP
I am A thoracic surgeon, the surgical treatment of lung cancer is one of my priorities. Over the years of my work, I have treated countless lung cancer patients, and one thing stands out in my memory.
Ten years ago, I had a colleague who was also a surgeon. I was preparing for surgery that day, and he suddenly ran into my operating room and said, “Oh, old Joe, I am here. The chest pain is very bad, you will help me to find out what’s going on.”
I wondered if he had a pneumothorax attack, and suggested that he hurry up and take a film! I don’t know if I don’t shoot it, I’ll be shocked when I shoot it! It turned out to be a massive pleural effusion. For a large amount of pleural effusion, there are two possibilities:
1. Tuberculosis, pneumonia infection;
2. Tumor.
Because he was only in his early 40s and was usually healthy, none of us considered the possibility of tumors.
But because of the large amount of pleural effusion and chest tightness and shortness of breath, the effusion drawn out was bloody. When we saw this color, we became very nervous at that time. .
Immediately sent for pathological examination, it was confirmed to be lung cancer, then after draining the water, a whole body CT examination was performed, and it was found that the lung was close to the pleura, and there was a 1.5 cm solid nodule.
His tumor did not metastasize throughout the body, just a subpleural nodule that grew and burst through the pleura, causing pleural metastasis and pleural effusion.
The last colleague, who has undergone chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and surgery because of pleural metastasis, can only survive for more than 5 years and nearly 6 years.
This is also an example that has made me sad all my life, because I used to have poor health awareness, and the physical examination was only done on chest X-rays, and the small nodules in the lungs could not be seen. No CT scan was done, so I believe he had this nodule for many years. If a CT examination can be done as soon as possible, it will not cause the early stage to become the late stage.
Lung cancer is difficult to detect early because of the “speciality” of the lung span>
The symptoms of lung cancer are mainly caused by the compression and invasion of the tumor. Early lung cancer basically has no obvious symptoms, because the volume of the lungs is large, so the compression symptoms are not obvious.
Obvious symptoms will not appear until the tumor has grown to a certain extent, that is, it has entered the middle and late stages. There will be clinical reactions such as cough, expectoration, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and even difficulty breathing.
This is the reason why lung cancer is in the middle and late stages as soon as it is discovered. According to my experience, 70-80% of patients feel uncomfortable when they come to the hospital for examination and discovery. Intermediate or advanced stage of lung cancer.
Although it is difficult to detect early lung cancer, it is not without trace.
Be careful with these 4 situations in your body!
May be a ‘sign’ of lung cancer
1. Recent pneumonia
If the patient has a history of There are streak shadows in the lungs, which have increased in size after regular physical examinations. Patients should begin to pay attention, seek medical treatment in time, and receive professional treatment. At this time, their disease will generally not be delayed.
If not treated in time, ground-glass opacities with clear borders in the lungs with pleural traction may occur, and we should be alert to the existence of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. possible.
2. Fever, cough and other symptoms
When the tumor invades the blood vessels of the lungs and trachea, it will cause expectoration, hemoptysis, and blood in the sputum.
The cough caused by lung cancer is long-lasting, non-sputum, and frequent coughing. It is difficult to find the cause in the short term and it is difficult to cure. It is probably caused by lung cancer. .
3. Pain in the chest and back
When When the tumor grows relatively large and compresses blood vessels, nerves, and invades the pleura, pain will occur. It is worth noting that the location of the pain is uncertain but persistent.
4. Edema above the lungs
When the tumor compresses the superior vena cava, it is called superior vena cava syndrome. The superior vena cava syndrome is mainly manifested as edema of the face, head and neck, and edema of both upper extremities.
The “2000-2014 Global Cancer Survival Trend Monitoring Research Report” published by The Lancet shows that the overall cure rate of lung cancer is not very high. The 5-year survival rate after treatment of lung cancer with the highest incidence is only 19.8%, so for the treatment of lung cancer, early detection is the top priority.
These three types of people should have CT scans every year, < /p>
“Find out” lung cancer in time
Lung cancer is difficult to detect at an early stage, and low-dose CT examination is To find the key to lung cancer, the following groups are the key targets for prevention. Therefore, it is recommended that they do a CT examination every year to prevent problems before they occur.
1. Middle-aged and elderly people over 40 years old;
2. Over 40 years old, especially middle-aged and elderly people aged 50-70 years old, with a history of smoking;
3. High-risk groups: industrial and mining workers, long-term Exposure to radioactive substances and family history of cancer.
This article comes from: 2022-03-04 People’s Daily Health Client Health Account “Dr. Qiao VIP from Thoracic Surgery” “Lung cancer is discovered at an advanced stage? Doctor: Your body gave you hints but was ignored”, the copyright belongs to the original author.
Editor: Lu Yang
Reviewer: Yang Xiaoming