Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer. This cancer can usually start in your airways, which carry the air in and out of your lungs. If you are a person who has a long history of smoking, then chances are that you might get diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. But if you pay close attention to your body, you can detect its symptoms in an early stage and seek help before it’s too late.
What are the causes?
Your smoking habit can be the biggest reason for squamous cell carcinoma. The nicotine and tobacco in the cigarette can easily damage the cell lining in your airways. It can also make it difficult for you to breathe if you have been smoking for a long period. But smoking is not the only thing that is responsible for squamous cell carcinoma, as there can be other factors involved. Long-term exposure to air pollution, radon gas, or exposure to some chemicals at your workplace can also be equally responsible, even if you don’t smoke.
Symptoms you shouldn’t ignore
The symptoms can vary depending on your health condition. In some cases, your symptoms may develop slowly. But there can be a few common symptoms that you should look for:
Continuous coughing that gets worse over time.
Chest pain while breathing.
Shortness of breath while performing daily activities.
Spitting out blood while you cough.
Unexplained weight loss.
How do doctors carry out the diagnosis?
Doctors usually start their procedure by examining your medical condition. They may conduct your X-rays or PET scans to look for any unusual changes in your lungs. A final biopsy is performed if doctors find any suspicious changes in your lungs. Once the cancer is confirmed, doctors might take some additional tests to determine the stage of your cancer. All these tests can help doctors understand your condition better, so they can plan a treatment that suits you.
What are the different treatment options?
Treatment options can depend on your stage of cancer and the location of the cancer tumor in your lungs. Doctors may go for surgery as the primary step to remove as much of the tumor as possible from your lungs. After the surgery, doctors can also go for radiation therapy with high-energy rays to destroy the remaining cancer cells in your lungs. Chemotherapy can also help to control the spread of cancer in your body. In some cases, doctors may give you an immunotherapy to activate your immune cells so they can recognize and kill cancer cells in your body.
Early detection for early care
You can beat squamous cell carcinoma if you take action on time. By paying a little attention to your body and reporting changes to your doctor on time can save you lots of time. This way, you can take control of your health and can recover faster to heal completely.