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lung cancer
malignant growths of the lung. Inhaled carcinogens are common causes, such as mineral dust in mines and fumes in polluted air caused by burning fuels or motor exhausts. The
most obvious carcinogen, however, and the one most widely encountered, is tobacco smoke (see smoking). Since the factors causing lung cancer act slowly and may produce a tumor near the periphery of the lung, early symptoms
are often vague; nearly a third of patients have an advanced stage when their cancer is discovered. The earliest and most
common symptom is a cough that is first dry but later produces sputum and eventually becomes blood-streaked. An isolated persistent wheeze in the chest is frequently a symptom and indicates a partial obstruction in a bronchus. Chest pains, weakness, weight loss, and dyspnea are later symptoms.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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