Lung Cancer and Drug Abuse

Lung cancer and drug abuse has something in common - smoking. The fact is, a lot of people are dying because of just one stick of cigarette fired up on a lazy afternoon or after having a sumptuous meal.
Smoking has been a bad habit evident in both men and women. The nicotine taken from a cigar is reason enough to gradually tear a person's respiratory center apart. Aside from smoking, there are other reasons for getting lung cancer which is: being exposed to certain chemicals and being an alcoholic. Heredity can also be factor but that wouldn't be out of drug abuse but within the genes.
Smoking - a silent killer
There are lots of claims from medical experts including doctors that says smoking is one of the main reasons why there is lung cancer on the first place. Through smoking, normal lung cells are damaged because of the chemical or drug induced in the pack. Once a person inhales smoke from a cigarette, it releases carcinogens which are considered as the main contributory factor for the production of immature lung cancer cells. Once inside the lungs, these carcinogens change the composition of lung tissues into abnormal ones.
On the first stages your body can still have the capability to repair the slightly damaged tissues but when there is already an occurrence of repeated exposure to the drug or chemical, the normal cells will be damaged in increasing number. There will come a time when the damage made to the tissues and the organ itself can turn out confused and may eventually develop cancer.
Since lungs are made up of blood vessels and are surrounded by lymph nodes, cancer cells tend to easily metastasize to different parts of your body like the heart, adjacent lung, and so on. Because of this, aside from manifesting respiratory symptoms, one can also express signs made by other parts of the body.
Lung cancer is seldom diagnosed during its early stages therefore it is sometimes too late to reverse the damage made by the disease and appropriate measures should be made in order to lengthen the life of the person or otherwise eliminate the growth of the cells.
Drug abuse leading to cancer
There are a lot of reasons why people tend to abuse the use of drugs. First, because of familial tendency, a person may have more chances of acquiring the disease rather than preventing it. Being addicted to drugs can come from their own family members. There are claims that show that genes of addicted persons may carry drug addicted factors resulting to substance abuse and dependence.
Peer pressure may also be one of the main reasons why people abuse the use of drugs. When you have chosen a bunch of friends who are always living the life of a celebrity - drinking, smoking, and wasting money, you have a 90 percent chance of getting into their lifestyle.
Personality determines the options that you have to choose. When you are in an environment that contributes more negative energy than a positive one, then you are bound to put it all on the misuse of drugs just to drive you away from the depression of the world.
The moment one gives into drug abuse, there are bigger chances of having the disease. Therefore, lung cancer and drug abuse are interrelated.
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Lung Cancer And Mesothelioma - The Role Of Smoking

Lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma, both affect the lungs of a person. Mesothelioma is not a form of lung cancer; both of these are two different and distinct diseases. Lung cancer develops in the tissues of the lungs, while mesothelioma affects the lining around the lungs which is called 'pleura'. Both these diseases cause serious health issues.
Mesothelioma is an asbestos induced disease. There are no other known causes for this disease. If a person has mesothelioma, then it can be implied that he/she was exposed to asbestos. This is why mesothelioma is called a 'signature disease' for exposure to asbestos.
Lung cancer can be caused due to smoking, and also due to exposure to asbestos. But mesothelioma cannot be caused by smoking. A person who is an active smoker and who was also exposed to asbestos has a much higher risk of getting lung cancer.
Cancer, Smoking and Mesothelioma
Smoking is always considered harmful to the body, especially to the lungs. Smoking and exposure to asbestos can both separately prove to be fatal to a person. Quitting smoking can however reduce the severity of developing lung cancer till an extent. Quitting smoking can considerably lower the risk of cancer in the future, but in way guarantees to do so.
If you are a smoker and are also suffering from an asbestos inflicted disease, then quitting smoking can be helpful to improve the quality of life. It can slow down the progress of the disease by making breathing easier, and can also improve the blood circulation. It is also helpful to reduce the stress on the heart.
It therefore becomes essential to know what the "synergistic effect" is. According to the 'synergistic effect', a combination of two or more exposures can be more dangerous than the aggregate of the individual exposures.
Here is an example to explain this well. Exposure to asbestos can increase the chances of a person to get lung cancer by 5 times. And continual smoking can increase the risk of lung cancer by 10 times. But if a person is an active smoker and was also exposed to asbestos, then his chance of getting lung cancer increases by 50 times and not 15 times. The individual risks are multiplied and not added.
The risk of cancer due to smoking will reduce once the person quits smoking. As per the American Lung Association, if a person quits smoking today, then his risk of cancer after a period of ten years will be half of what it would have been if he had not quit smoking. The risk of strokes, heart diseases and other cancers will also come down significantly.
Giving up smoking can bring multiple health benefits for the patient. The benefits are higher for a person suffering from an asbestos inflicted disease, or for one who has a history of exposure to asbestos.
It is advisable that patients remember that smoking can increase the risk and severity of lung cancer and mesothelioma by manifolds. While mesothelioma will only occur from asbestos exposure, but fact of the matter is that smoking does cause already suffering patients greater discomfort.
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