7.

6 Million People
Maria E. Godinez
November 18, 2015

Can you imagine going into the doctors office and as you are waiting for the doctor to
come in just for the doctor to tell you that the results from the recent biopsy of your lungs could
have been prevented. You knew you had to stop smoking years ago but of course that didnt
occur. So, due to that choice now youre not healthy and probably will never be. Cancer it isnt
something that has been all over the news recently or something that has been killing people over
decades. Cancer is something everyone fears. Cancer is something that can take your loved ones
away. So, how does lung cancer live, grow and spread? What is the history of these mutated
cells? And what are people doing to fight cancer?
7.6 million people die from cancer worldwide every year, out of which, four million
people die aged 30-69 years, (Globocan 2013). Unless urgent action is taken to raise awareness
about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address cancer by 2025 it is projected to
increase to an alarming 6 million premature cancer deaths per year. The most common cancer is
breast cancer, yet a lot of people die from lung cancer. If youre not a smoker, you are still at
risk of getting the disease, because radon can be the second common cause of lung cancer in the
United States. Lung cancer now can be diagnosed in ten minutes by an electrical skin resistance
test (Brookshire 2014). As the technician puts one electrode to the patients leg running the other
electrode, the electrical resistance of various skin sites is recorded by meters and mapped by the
investigators on a drawing of the human body. Physical annual exams are very important for
both genders because they can examine you for bumps or anything abnormal in the body and if
anything is detected they will immediately send you to a specialist to get you checked. Even if
annual exams are not your thing, getting test for cancer can be another step that can be taken to
be aware, so that action can be taken.
Lung cancer, or cancer in general, doesnt stay in one place. It metastasies to other places
in the human body. Researchers have previously thought that single rogue cancer cells broke
away from tumors and migrated to other places in the body where they could later give rise to
new tumors (Saey 2014). Therefore, people with cancer must get treatment as soon as they find
out about the diseases so the normal cells in the human body divide to keep the body growing
and functioning. Instead of normal cells abnormal cells are produced while cancer develops
during mitosis. Cancer cells move as groups to support each others growth. The cells live on
and keep dividing even-though they are abnormal. The cell growth can affect any tissue in the
body which it is to form tumors anywhere in the body. When that occurs it means the abnormal
cancer cells are making their way into invading blood vessels traveling into other tissue making
the tumor larger. Most of the time lung cancer spreads in the lymph nodes area, liver, bones,
brain, and adrenal glands. Once tumors are already spread in other parts of the body it becomes
more challenging to kill those infected cells. And thats where the pain becomes more effective
and treatment is required to make the body more moveable because once an abnormal cell hits
the spine it becomes very difficult for the patient to move around, a helper might be needed for
several occasions as well as a wheelchair since the body becomes very weak. Depression can get
in the way too, especially when facing it alone, but even if the body is weak activities can be
done to get away from a solitary episode.
The medical field is very aware of what cancer is and medical treatment and
preventatives are expanded. Treatment is usually chemotherapy, unless the lymph nodes that are
involved are near the initial tumor and can be removed with surgery (Eldridge 2014). Cancer is a
process that not one individual can go through by its self, it is important that family members,
relatives, friends, and anyone who is close to the individual to stay with them, they need major
support to win the battle. As soon as the victim starts having symptoms of bone metastases,

which it will be pain, they immediately need to be seen by the doctor. The pain begins steadily,
feeling like a muscle pull or strain, and the pain just becomes more severe. In this case people
with lung cancer cannot give up they need to have hope. Cancer cannot be cured instantly but
even-though it might feel like the best thing to do is to give up, that is not the solution. Lung
cancer affects the respiratory system and can cause frequent respiratory infections, shortness of
breath, or wheezing. In today days there is equipment that can help your breath when needed.
The point is that no matter how hard the situation is, there is not an option of giving up when
facing cancer. You need to understand that maybe you were the one that caused the disease for
not stopping smoking tobacco, but that doesnt change anything now other than taking
medications and getting treatment. Also, lung cancer is not something to overcome easily, it may
take weeks, months, or even years to be cured, and maybe this experience might be a lesson to
learned and teach loved ones to stay away from smoking to not kill your lungs and then
experience cancer.
Cancer is a disease I dont ever want to experience in my life nor I would want someone
else to go through especially a family member, cancer may be created by many different
resources such as the chemicals we are surrounded by, smoking, drinking, etc. and even if you
were a smoker since you were a teenager and now you decide to quit, your lungs are already
damaged. Lung cancer is a genetic disease, it is caused by many changes to genes that control the
way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide (NCI 2015). Finding out you have
cancer can be horrible news and may feel like the world has turned upside down. In order to
fight cancer, society needs to be taught the basics. People need to be aware of what cancer is and
how it lives, grows, and spreads. People with stage one, two, and stage 3A can get surgery if
cancer is detected early and can most likely be cured. If cancer is detected at a late stage and
cant get surgery anymore doesnt mean it cannot be treatable, there are many pain medications
that can be given to patients for pain relief, while they are in therapy. There are also things we
can do to avoid helping the cells mutate. Following procedures as the doctor indicates will make
a huge difference. Cancer has been around for so many years and it will not go away from one
day to another, therefore it must be fought in order to win the battle. Winning isnt everything
but when you fight against lung cancer it is.
Literature Cited
Brookshire, B. (2014, December 27). Electric detection of lung cancer. Science News, P.4-P.4.
Eldridge, L. (2014, January 11). Where Does Lung Cancer Spread and How Can I Know if it
Has? Retrieved November 18, 2015, from
Saey, T. (2014, December 9). Cells in groups may promote cancers spread. Science News, P.9P.9.
World Cancer Day 2013 - Global Press Release. (2013, February 4). Retrieved November 18,
2015