An estimated 142,000 Americans were expected to die due to lung cancer in 1990. Lung cancer may also be the most tragic cancer because, in most cases, it might have been prevented. And treatment is currently limited in its effectiveness. It is important to find out what kind of lung cancer a person has. The different types of carcinomas,involving different regions of the lung, may give rise to different symptoms, and are treated differently.
Lung cancer takes many years to develop.
With continued exposure, more abnormal cells appear. These cells may be on their way to becoming cancerous and forming a tumor. The symptoms of the cancer vary depending on several factors, including where in the lung the tumor is found. The cancerous area may bleed when a person coughs. If the tumor grows larger, it may gradually fill up the bronchus so that air can't pass in or out.