Pathology of lung cancers

Question 1

What are the most common symptoms of lung cancer?

Answer 1

• a cough that doesn’t go
• a cough that gets worse
• coughing up of blood
• rust coloured sputum
• chest pain
• weigh loss
• loss of appetite
• shortness of breath
• feeling tired or weak
• infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away

Question 2

what are the causes of pulmonary opacity?

Answer 2

• focal airspace disease
• diffuse or multifocal airspace disease
• fine reticular pattern
• coarse reticular pattern
• reticulnodular pattern
• military pattern
• nodular pattern

Question 3

what is lung cancer?

Answer 3

it is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that start off in one or both lungs; usually in the cells that line the air passages, the abnormal cells do not develop into healthy lung tissue, they divide rapidly and form tumours

Question 4

define the types of lung carcinoma

Answer 4

lung cancers are broadly classified into 2 types: small cell lung cancers and non-small cell lung cancers

Question 5

what is the classification of lung cancer based upon?

Answer 5

the microscopic appearance of the tumour cells

Question 6

what is the most common type of lung cancer?

Answer 6

non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer, about 85% if lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancers

Question 7

name sub-types of non-small cell lung cancers

Answer 7

squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma are all subtypes

Question 8

what are the most common sites of metastases for lung cancer?

Answer 8

the other lung, adrenal gland, bones, lymph nodes, brain and liver

Question 9

where do most lung cancers first spread to?

Answer 9

lymph nodes in the chest near the tumour, generally lung cancer begins in one lung and then travels through lymph vessels and blood vessels to the lymph nodes and other tissues