How Doctors Screen for Lung Cancer:
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women in the United States. This disease kills more than 142,000 people yearly, and doctors will diagnose more than 220,000 new cases each year. While screening is generally offered to heavy smokers over 55, you may also want to ask your doctor for tests if you have a family history of lung cancer or if you are at high risk due to exposure to asbestos, second hand smoke, radon, or other carcinogens. In this article, we’ll discuss when you should see a doctor and how doctors screen for lung cancer.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer
There are very few physical symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer. Later symptoms of lung cancer may include: shortness of breath, coughing up blood, hoarseness, chest pain, bone pain, headache, or a new cough that doesn’t go away. If you have any persistent symptoms, see your doctor immediately.
Diagnosing Lung Cancer
If you and your doctor determine that you need to be screened for lung cancer, your doctor may order a number of tests:
- Imaging Tests:
- Your doctor may order x-rays or a CT scan to view your lungs. An x-ray can reveal abnormal masses or nodules. However, a CT scan can reveal smaller lesions that can’t been seen on an x-ray.
- Sputum Cytology:
- If you are coughing, your doctor may order tests to look at the sputum under a microscope, which can sometimes reveal cancerous cells.
- Tissue Biopsy:
- Your doctor may also remove abnormal cells from your lungs or lymph nodes for further study through a bronchoscopy, which uses a lighted tube passed down through your throat and into your lungs; a needle biopsy, where CT or x-ray images help your doctor guide a needle through the chest wall and into the lungs; or a mediastinoscopy, where your doctor makes an incision at the base of your neck and inserts surgical tools behind your breastbone to take samples from your lymph nodes.
A pathologist will carefully examine your tissue samples in the lab to help determine your prognosis and recommend your treatment plan.If you or a loved one have been exposed to asbestos or other toxic chemicals and have been diagnosed with a related lung cancer or asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation. For a FREE consultation, call the Madeksho Law Firm at 1-888-910-MESO (6376), or contact us here. We have decades of experience helping victims of lung cancer due to asbestos exposure.
