Everyone knows that the earlier you identify cancer, the more chances you have of curing it. However, the bad news is that without exams, it is not always possible to notice when they appear, an example of this is the fact that the lung cancer it rarely generates initial signs and for this reason, it generates thousands of victims every year.
Lung cancer can be very silent
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The most general symptoms that should cause an alert for possible lung cancer, according to Clarissa Mathias, oncologist at Grupo Oncoclínicas and former president of SBOC (Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology), from Salvador (Bahia), is cough, shortness of breath and chest pain, but she warns that lung cancer can be extremely silent, “However, it is good to reinforce that symptoms usually do not occur until the disease is already in a more advanced stage, which compromises the chances of cure and quality of life. of the patient."
This factor makes lung cancer extremely dangerous, after all, to ensure the chances of cure for a cancer patient, starting treatment in the early stages of the disease is an essential factor, but most people who have it will only discover it later too much.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2020, for example, lung cancer was the biggest cause of death from cancer in the year, leading 1.8 million people to death.
Routine exams are essential.
In most cases, only with frequent routine examinations can it be possible to identify lung cancer. Singer Rita Lee was an example of this. She discovered the disease after taking routine exams in 2021, started treatment immediately and in 2022, her family announced cancer remission.
However, unfortunately Rita Lee's case is rare, after all, due to the fact that she does not perform these exams periodically. Only 16% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at an early stage.
It is also worth mentioning that, currently, only those at high risk of contracting cancer are recommended to undergo screening tests periodically.
How does lung cancer diagnosis work?
They are usually identified through computed tomography of the chest and X-rays. If anything unusual is found, doctors request a biopsy with a small sample of lung tissue for analysis.
