When a friend checked ct, he found a 4 mm-sized lung nodule, but there were no symptoms. The doctor advised him to continue observing, but he was relieved and asked What should Huazi do? Huazi said that she can listen to the doctor's advice, there is no need for treatment for the time being, as long as you continue to observe, it is too late to find abnormalities and then treat them. Because 4 mm large lung nodules are not very dangerous.
However, it needs to be reviewed regularly, because lung cancer is the most malignant tumor in the world, and it is also the highest incidence of cancer in the mainland, so we must pay attention to prevention.
First, most lung cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage
In the incidence of malignant tumors, lung cancer ranks first in the world. Someone asked Huazi why many people's lung cancer, once diagnosed, is advanced? Huazi said that this is when most lung cancer patients have symptoms of coughing, coughing up blood or chest pain, and these symptoms often appear in the middle and late stages of lung cancer.
If lung cancer can be detected early, the cure rate through surgery can reach 80% to 90%, but advanced lung cancer may lose the opportunity to operate, the treatment effect will be greatly reduced, and the 5-year survival rate is only about 20%. Therefore, to prevent lung cancer, high-risk groups must pay attention to early screening.
Second, the characteristics of people at high risk of lung cancer
People at high risk for lung cancer refer to people over the age of 40 who also have more than one of the following risk factors.
Risk factors include:
1, heavy smoking: the number of cigarettes smoked per day, multiplied by the number of years of smoking, will get a smoking index, if this value is greater than 400, it is heavy smoking. For example, if you smoke 30 cigarettes a day and have a smoking age of 15 years, then the smoking index is 450. People with a smoking index greater than 400, even if they quit smoking, but have quit smoking for less than 15 years, are still counted as people at high risk of lung cancer.
2. History of exposure to dangerous compounds: long-term exposure to toxic substances such as asbestos, beryllium, uranium, radon and so on in work or environment.
3. History of lung diseases: have suffered from tuberculosis, diffuse pulmonary fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
4. Tumor-related diseases: have malignant tumors in other parts, or immediate family members have a history of lung cancer.
5. Passive smoking or oil smoke: close contact with smokers, passive inhalation of second-hand smoke for more than 20 years; long-term cooking in poorly ventilated places, contact with kitchen fumes, or use of rural stoves for more than 20 years.
Third, what to pay attention to in the early screening of lung cancer
The commonly used method of screening lung cancer internationally is to perform low-dose spiral CT examination, which only needs to bear one-seventh of the radiation dose of normal CT to obtain clear lung images. Early-stage lung cancer is manifested as a lung nodule, and CT examination is more accurate. However, most lung nodules are not lung cancer, especially those smaller than 8 mm, and non-solid nodules without vascular passage are safer.
Therefore, after the discovery of the lung nodule, if the risk is not large, it can be temporarily left untreated. The pulmonary nodules are observed every 6 months to 1 year. If there is a change, treatment is given.
It should be noted that the method of testing lung cancer-related tumor markers by blood draw is not highly sensitive, is not suitable for early screening of lung cancer, and can only be used as an auxiliary examination method. If lung cancer-related tumor markers are found to be excessive, or progressively elevated, it is necessary to use imaging such as CT for diagnosis.
Removing a sample of diseased tissue and performing a pathological examination is the gold standard for lung cancer diagnosis. However, when a tissue sample is taken for puncture, it is traumatic to the body, which may cause complications such as pneumothorax, hemothoracosia and even cancer metastasis. Therefore, in imaging examination, if typical lung cancer characteristics have been shown, direct surgery can be selected, and samples are taken out during surgery for pathological examination.
Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drugs are all effective weapons for the treatment of lung cancer, but the key to treatment is early detection. People at high risk of lung cancer should pay attention to early screening. Doing a low-dose spiral CT once a year during the physical examination can be a good screening for lung cancer. I am a pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.