Senator Miriam and lung cancer
(First of two parts)
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, one of my favorites in the Senate, has just announced that she’s fighting probably one of the fiercest battles in her life.
The enemy this time is neither an abusive politician, a negligent government official nor a massive system of corruption or incompetence. The nemesis consists of tiny microscopic cells in her lung tissues that have transformed into evil cancer cells, threatening to cause massive chaos and destruction in her system.
The feisty senator, of course, is not to be cowed by threats of any nature. She has eaten death threats for breakfast many years back when she was a judge, fighting hoodlums, and later on as the immigration commissioner.
When she made the announcement earlier this week, she sounded like this new threat to her life should be no different from the many threats she has not only survived but also prevailed upon.
As soon as they heard the news that Senator Miriam was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, two of my patients sent text messages asking me if they needed to be worked up for lung cancer.
Healthy lifestyle
Both of them had normal chest X-rays within one year and they have no significant risk factors or symptoms that would justify a more intensive workup for lung cancer. So, I just told them to relax and maintain their healthy lifestyle.
“But Sen. Santiago also lived a healthy lifestyle!” one of my patients texted back.
I didn’t reply back anymore as it would require a lengthy explanation. So perhaps this column can answer some questions which some of our patients and other readers might have on lung cancer.
Smokers still carry the highest risk of developing lung cancer. A modern-day tragedy though is that not only the smoker but people close to the smoker, who inhale his or her smoke frequently, also have an increased risk of getting afflicted with lung or other cancers. This is called secondhand smoke.
Time and again, we’ve seen housewives whose husbands smoked, developing lung cancer, while their husbands remained cancer-free. Perhaps, the wife had a weaker immune system making her more prone to cancer than her husband.
The risk of lung cancer is proportionate to the length of time and number of cigarettes one has smoked. Cigarette smoke contains a lot of cancer-causing substances called carcinogens. Smoking causes lung cancer by destroying the protective cells that line the lungs.
A smoker usually does not realize that changes in the lining of the airways and lung tissues develop almost immediately after one inhales the smoke. Just imagine what happens when this is repeated over a long period of time.
The body usually puts up a gallant fight to repair the damage in the lining cells and tissues of the lungs caused by smoking. But eventually, the body’s defense mechanisms are exhausted and the lung cells behave abnormally, transforming into cancer cells.
But the good news is that if one quits smoking even after doing it for many years, the risk for developing lung cancer diminishes significantly. So, it’s never too late to quit smoking, and one should quit while he/she is ahead.
Aside from smoking and secondhand smoke, the other risk factors for lung cancer are: constant exposure to air pollution; exposure to asbestos and other chemicals like arsenic, chromium and nickel; and a family history of lung cancer. Yes, there can be a hereditary tendency to develop it; if one’s parent, sibling or any other close kin has been diagnosed to have lung cancer, one might have also inherited the genes predisposing him/her to develop cancer.
Although some risk factors are identifiable in most cases, it’s also possible that lung cancer could occur in people who never smoked and with no significant exposure to secondhand smoke, as in the case of Senator Miriam.
Signs and symptoms
If one has a cough that doesn’t go away, one should see his/her doctor to have it checked. Smokers usually dismiss it as a “smoker’s cough” but if it’s persistent, especially if there’s occasional blood tinge, it could be something more serious. Other usual signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include:
• Progressive loss of weight even without dieting;
• Shortness of breath and easy fatigability;
• Chest pains which may be in front, at the sides or at the back;
• Hoarseness of voice;
• Bone pains; and
• Wheezing noted by the doctor on using the stethoscope.
One should remember though that lung cancer usually does not present signs and symptoms in its early stages. The signs and symptoms may only be experienced when the cancer is advanced already. And more than a third of cases are diagnosed when it’s stage 4 already. Therefore, a high index of suspicion in those with risk factors is a must, as this could lead to an early diagnosis and treatment.
Since a big number of lung cancer patients are diagnosed when the cancer’s stage 4 already, what can be a reasonable expectation at this stage of the disease?
(To be continued)
