Risk Factors for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer risk factors include:

• Smoking: Your risk of developing lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Quitting at any age lowers your risk of developing lung cancer.
• Exposure to radon gas: radon results from the breakdown of uranium in certain soils. The gas may make its way into homes, especially in basements.
• Exposure to asbestos: people exposed to asbestos through their work are at greater risk of developing a condition called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that starts in the lining around the lungs.
• Exposure to radiation: Radiation therapy to the chest from childhood through early adulthood increases lung cancer risk.
• Family history: people with a close relative who had lung cancer are at slightly higher risk for developing lung cancer themselves.ses lung cancer risk.
• Prior lung cancer: people who have had lung cancer before are at greater risk for recurrence of lung cancer.

• Ultrasound guided Lung Mass Biopsy
• CT (Computed Tomography) Guided
• EBUS Biopsy (Lymph Nodes or Centrally located tumours)

Test for Staging of Lung Cancer

The clinical stage or the initial staging before initiation f treatment is vitally important for patients with Lung Cancer as it is not only the basis for deciding on a patient's treatment plan, but is also the basis for comparison when checking into the patient's response to treatment. This will require

• Whole Body PET/CT Scan

  Positron emission tomography (PET) Scan is a special imaging modality wherein a small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers or radiopharmaceuticals are injected in to the veins. These radiotracers accumulate in areas where there may be tumour cells and will be detected using a special camera and a computer. By identifying changes at the cellular level, PET scan may detect the early onset of disease before other imaging tests can and also help in identifying whether the disease is limited to lungs or has spread beyond it.

• MRI Brain

  Certain patients will require MRI of the brain to rule out spread to brain which sometimes is not picked up by PET scan .

• Endo-Bronchial Ultrasound Guided staging of Mediastinal Lymph nodes

  This test is used to check for spread of the cancer to regional or Mediastinal Nodes. It involves the use of a special bronchoscope which has an ultrasound probe at its tip. This is used to visualise the lymph nodes from which needle biopsy is taken and which is then subjected to evaluation by Pathologists for presence of cancer cells

• Mediastinoscopy

  This is a surgical procedure which is advised in patients with Lung Cancer to conclusively rule out involvement of Mediastinal Nodes in the central part of the chets, which is the space between the heart, lungs, windpipe, and esophagus.

Surgical techniques to take out pulmonary nodules include:

• Thoracotomy(Open): This procedure is considered open lung surgery. A cut is made in the wall of the chest in order to remove pieces of diseased lung tissue. Patients usually have to remain in the hospital for a few days after the operation. The mortality risk is low. When possible, a mini-thoracotomy that is less invasive may be performed
• Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy: This procedure uses a thoracoscope, a flexible tube with a miniature camera on its end. The thoracoscope is inserted through a small cut into the chest wall. The camera allows the surgeon to view an image of the nodule on a television screen. This technique requires a smaller cut and a shorter recovery time than a thoracotomy does.