Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer
INTRODUCTION
•A cancer that begins in the lungs and most often occurs in people who smoke.
•Two major types of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer and small cell
lung cancer.
•Stage 1: Cancer is found in the lung, but it has not spread outside the lung.
•Stage 3: Cancer is in the lung and lymph nodes in the middle of the chest.
Cont.
•Stage 3A: Cancer is found in lymph nodes, but only on the same side
of the chest where cancer first started growing.
•Stage 4: Cancer has spread to both lungs, into the area around the
lungs, or to distant organs.
TNM CLASSIFICATION
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Repeated exposure to carcinogens, cigarette smoke etc.
If the exposure continues, it leads to genetic mutations and affects protein synthesis.
Lung cancer
Clinical features
•Lung cancer typically doesn't cause signs and symptoms in its earliest stages.
•Signs and symptoms of lung cancer typically occur when the disease is advanced.
Signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include:
A new cough that doesn't go away
Coughing up blood, even a small amount
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Hoarseness
weight loss
Bone pain
Headache
Diagnosis
History collection
Physical examination
Imaging studies
Sputum cytology
Lung biopsy
CT Scan
MRI Scan
PET Scan
Fluorescence bronchoscopy
Prevention
•Don't smoke.
•Stop smoking.
•Avoid secondhand smoke.
•Avoid carcinogens at work.
•Eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables.
•Exercise most days of the week.
Medical Management
•Oxygen through nasal cannula based on level of dyspnea.
•Elevate the head of the bed to ease the work of breathing and to prevent
fluid collection in upper body
•Teach breathing retraining exercises to increase diaphragmatic excursion
and reduce work of breathing.
•Augment the patient’s ability to cough effectively by splinting the
patient’s chest manually.
•Instruct the patient to inspire fully and cough two to three times in one
breath.
•Provide humidifier or vaporizer to provide moisture to loosen secretions.
Cont.
•Encourage the patient to conserve energy by decreasing activities.
•Ensure adequate protein intake such as milk, eggs, oral nutritional
supplements; and chicken, fowl, and fish if other treatments are
not tolerated – to promote healing and prevent edema.
•Advise the patient to eat small amounts of high-calorie and high-
protein foods frequently, rather than three daily meals.
•Suggest eating the major meal in the morning if rapid satiety is
the problem.
Cont.
•Teach relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety associated with
dyspnea. Allow the severely dyspneic patient to sleep in reclining
chair.
•Change the diet consistency to soft or liquid if patient has esophagitis
from radiation therapy.
•Consider alternative pain control methods, such as biofeedback and
relaxation methods, to increase the patient’s sense of control.
•Teach the patient to use prescribed medications as needed for pain
without being overly concerned about addiction.
Complications
•Pleural effusion
•High risk for infection
•Deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism
•Hemoptysis
•Hypercalcemia
•Superior vena cava syndrome
•Spinal cord compression
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