The Knowledge Board:
Cancer (Lung)
It is very important to detect the precise type of lung cancer (small cell and non-small cell lung cancer), as treatments vary accordingly.
Chest x-ray is the first diagnostic tool to be employed when there is a suspect of lung cancer. It may reveal the presence of a cancerous mass or other abnormalities, such as:
• Atelectasis (the collapse of a part of all of a lung)
• A widening of the mediastinum (the space in the thoracic cavity containing the lungs)
• Solidification of a part of the soft tissues of the lungs into a firm mass
• Pleural effusion (excess fluid that accumulates in the pleural cavity – the body cavity containing the lungs.
If the chest x-rays results do not reveal the presence of any mass or abnormalities and there is still a high possibility of lung cancer (for instance a heavy smoker patient who coughs up blood), further tests may be necessary. These usually are:
• Bronchoscopy – a procedure in which the large airways (the trachea and bronchi) are inspected with a thin, flexible, fiber-optic telescope.
• Computed Tomography (CT)-guided biopsy, which is the process of taking a sample of tissue with the simultaneous help of anatomic images.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) – a medicine imagine technique which produces a three-dimensional image
These diagnostic tools are also employed to ascertain whether the presence of an abnormality is due to lung cancer of other non-malignant diseases.
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