Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the lungs. According to a World Health Organization survey report, the incidence of lung cancer ranks first among malignant tumors in many countries and regions. It is more common in men than in women, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 4-8:1. The incidence is higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and most patients are over 40 years old, with a minority under 40. The vast majority of lung cancers originate from the bronchial mucosal epithelium, hence the term bronchial lung cancer. "Lung cancer" is its abbreviation or common name. The primary treatment for lung cancer is surgical resection. When the primary tumor is confined to the bronchial lungs and has not yet metastasized distantly or to the lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate after surgery can exceed 50%. However, most patients already have advanced-stage disease by the time they first seek surgical treatment, and many lose the opportunity for radical resection. Therefore, early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment remain crucial tasks and responsibilities for medical professionals.

bubble_chart Clinical Manifestations

1. Irritating cough, mostly dry cough or white frothy sputum.
2. Bloody sputum often manifests as blood spots or streaks in the sputum.
3. When the tumor grows large enough to cause varying degrees of bronchial obstruction, symptoms and signs such as chest tightness, asthma, shortness of breath, localized wheezing, and localized lung qi distension may appear.
4. When the bronchus is completely obstructed, signs of corresponding lung tissue atelectasis appear.

bubble_chart Diagnosis

1. Stimulating cough, dry cough, or white frothy sputum, with blood spots or streaks in the sputum.
2. Chest tightness, asthma, shortness of breath.
3. Localized wheezing, localized lung qi swelling, or signs of atelectasis.
4. Chest X-ray: Shows uniformly dense, irregular or lobulated masses in the lungs, or round or oval shadows with notches or spicules at the edges. Sometimes localized lung qi swelling, atelectasis, etc., may be observed.
5. Cancer cells are found in sputum cytology examination.
6. Bronchoscopy reveals the source of cancerous lesions.

bubble_chart Treatment Measures

1. For cases where the primary tumor is still confined to the lung and no distant metastasis has occurred, surgical treatment is the primary option. Postoperative adjuvant therapies based on pathological findings are the preferred treatment plan.
2. The extent of surgical resection should be tailored to the patient's specific condition, aiming to completely remove the cancerous tissue while preserving lung function as much as possible.
3. For advanced-stage patients who have lost the opportunity for radical surgery, if the disease is still at stage IIIb or earlier, resection of the tumor and regional lymph node dissection can still be attempted, with the potential for favorable outcomes.
4. Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is a method for locally eliminating the source of cancer. Among various types of lung cancer, undifferentiated small cell carcinoma is the most sensitive, followed by squamous cell carcinoma, while adenocarcinoma is the least sensitive. Currently, it is commonly used for cases with extensive lesions, distant metastasis, or poor overall condition unsuitable for surgical treatment, to alleviate symptoms and prolong life. Radiation therapy can also be combined with surgical treatment. For cases where the tumor location and extent suggest high surgical difficulty, preoperative radiotherapy can improve the resection rate. For undifferentiated small cell carcinoma suitable for surgical resection, preoperative radiotherapy can enhance efficacy. The benefit of preoperative radiotherapy for other types of lung cancer remains controversial and thus should not be routinely applied.
5. Anticancer drug therapy: Among various types of lung cancer, undifferentiated small cell lung cancer is the most sensitive and responsive, squamous cell carcinoma is less so, and adenocarcinoma is the least sensitive. In recent years, combinations of drugs acting on different cell cycles have been used. Preoperative bronchial stirred pulse intubation with anticancer perfusion therapy can also reduce tumor size and improve resection rates.
6. Other Chinese and Western medications can serve as adjuvant therapies.

bubble_chart Cure Criteria

1. Cure: Diseased lung resection, good expansion of remaining lung, symptoms disappeared.
2. Improvement: Palliative resection performed or reduction of tumor source after radiotherapy/chemotherapy, symptoms improved.
3. Uncured: Symptoms not improved.

bubble_chart Prognosis

Although the exact causes of lung cancer are not fully understood, it is widely recognized to be closely related to smoking, air pollution, and certain industrial pollutants. Therefore, improving health education, raising public awareness of health, and strengthening environmental protection efforts can reduce the incidence of lung cancer. The early symptoms of lung cancer are mild and atypical, making them easily overlooked by patients or doctors. This often leads to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis as common colds or other respiratory diseases. As a result, most patients seek surgical treatment only when the disease has already reached an advanced stage, missing the opportunity for radical treatment. Hence, both doctors and patients must remain vigilant about this common disease. For individuals over 40 who experience recurrent infections in the same part of the lungs, blood-streaked or blood-spotted sputum, localized wheezing, signs of localized lung qi swelling, or recent atelectasis, a high suspicion of lung cancer should be raised. Thorough examinations must be conducted to avoid misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. In clinical practice, it is also common to encounter situations where doctors and patients overly rely on pathological diagnoses, forming the mistaken belief that a tumor cannot be diagnosed—let alone a treatment plan decided—without pathological confirmation. Some even fall into the extremely erroneous misconception that "if no cancer cells are found in sputum cytology or if a chest puncture fails to sample tumor tissue, the diagnosis of cancer can be ruled out." Such delays in diagnosis lead to unnecessary harm and losses.