Because it spreads rapidly from its characteristically central location, surgery is rarely the best treatment. However, encouraging results have been obtained with chemotherapy with this kind of lung cancer. The disease may occur in non smokers. It may also occur in non-smokers. Causes of lung cancer As cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer today, it is important to understand how it affects the lungs.
Smoking causes lung cancer in two ways.
First of all smoke inhalation damages the normal cleansing processes by which the lung protects itself from injury. Hair-like cilia on these cells beat in rhythmic fashion to move the mucus continually upwards from the lung, removing any inhaled particles which have been trapped in the sticky mucus. The effectiveness of this cleansing mechanism is destroyed very quickly by smoke inhalation because the cilia disappear and the lining thickens in an attempt to protect the delicate underlying tissues from damage. When these changes have occurred, the lung can no longer keep itself clean. Consequently, cancer-producing agents in the cigarette smoke remain trapped in the mucus on the surface lining of the airway long enough to pass into the cells before these substances can be removed by coughing, the only cleansing mechanism which remains.