Many people in China are suffering from lung cancer. Even if they are not smokers, they may develop lung cancer due to inhaling oil fumes and other conditions. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, my country's standardized mortality rate for lung cancer in 2012 was 21.6 per 100,000 people, a decrease of 16.9% from 26.0 per 100,000 people in 100 years. However, lung cancer still accounted for one-fifth of all cancer deaths in 2012. Xu Peisong, the attending physician of the Department of Thoracic Medicine at Shin Kong Hospital, said in the "Confucius on Health" program that there is almost no discomfort in the early stages of lung cancer, until coughs or back pain become severe.
Hong Ziren, deputy director of Shin Kong Hospital, said that the artist Wang Jianmin, who passed away from lung adenocarcinoma, once mentioned that he often suffered from back pain during his lifetime, and it was difficult to recover after seeking medical treatment. It was not until the lung adenocarcinoma was discovered that it was already very serious. In addition, former Executive Dean Chen Jianren was found to have early-stage lung cancer during a health check-up. After timely treatment, he is now quite healthy.
Xu Peisong, an attending physician in the Department of Thoracic Medicine at Xinguang Hospital, said that the most common type of lung cancer is lung adenocarcinoma. Everyone knows that smoking is a risk factor, but we have also seen that many people still develop lung adenocarcinoma even if they do not smoke.
Xu Peisong mentioned that he had encountered cases where he only sought medical treatment when he had a cough, which was probably already serious. Xu Peishong said that lung cancer usually does not cause any discomfort in the early stages. Many patients even wait until the tumor metastasizes to the bones and causes pain in the brain (such as back pain, wheezing and coughing) before seeking medical treatment. By this time, the disease has often reached a more serious stage. In recent years, the number of non-smoking patients with "lung adenocarcinoma" has exceeded the traditional types of lung cancer caused by smoking; many celebrities or people who live a normal life and do not smoke or drink may also be diagnosed.
Among the high-risk groups for lung cancer, Xu Peisong said that the easiest thing for everyone to understand is that long-term smoking or repeated inhalation of second-hand smoke will continue to stimulate the respiratory tract and epithelial cells and cause pathological changes. In addition, people with a family history of lung cancer are at higher risk.
Xu Peishong emphasized that frequent inhalation of pollutants or outdoor air pollution (such as PM2.5) at work are important risk factors. However, Xu Peishong pointed out that the most commonly ignored pollution is the home environment, such as cooking in an environment with high oil fumes and poor ventilation for a long time, and burning incense in poorly ventilated areas. "When lighting incense, you can find an air purifier. When you turn it on, you will find that the PM2.5 warning light will keep flashing red." Others have to open their windows as much as possible to increase convection; clothes that have been left in the wardrobe for a long time are also slightly risky.
Xu Peisong suggested doing "low-dose computed tomography" (LDCT), which is a powerful tool that can help the public with early detection. Medical science has confirmed that low-dose chest computed tomography (LDCT) is currently the only screening tool that can diagnose lung cancer early and effectively reduce mortality.
LDCT does not require fasting or injection of contrast agent (avoiding concerns about allergies or kidney damage), and the scanning time only takes 2 to 5 minutes. Xu Peisong said, "The time to change clothes is even longer than the inspection." At the same time, the slices are thin and can pick out very small early nodules.
Xu Peisong reminded everyone to try to improve their living habits. The first step is of course to take the initiative to reject the harm of smoking and stay away from second-hand smoke and oil fumes. When cooking, be sure to turn on the range hood at all times and allow indoor air convection in a timely manner. If necessary, use an air purifier. High-risk groups (such as those with family history, long-term exposure to oil fume or air pollution) should regularly arrange LDCT screening to achieve "early detection and early treatment."
