In an interview for the Journal of Medicine and Public Health, the pulmonologist, Edwin Alicea, clarifies that cigarettes can cause other types of cancer and that cigarettes are the main risk factor for lung cancer.
The lung cancer It arises in the tissues of the lung when cells begin to multiply uncontrollably and is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the world.
The most common symptoms of lung cancer they cough and are short of breath. However, care should be taken as these symptoms are related to other diseases related to the lungs, therefore a thorough diagnosis should be made.
“The cigarette is the cause of lung cancer for almost 90%”, the pulmonologist emphasized.
Others risk factors of cancer include exposure to radiation, asbestos, pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, in terms of genetics, there are factors such as obesity that can increase the risk of getting this disease.
The prevalence of lung cancer it has increased in the United States and even outstrips other cancers, and in Puerto Rico, research has shown that smoking is lower on the island than in the United States.
“The 2008 law banning the use of cigarettes in public places such as restaurants and bars has reduced incidence in Puerto Rico,” the doctor said.
Prevention is very important, stop smoking as soon as possible is essential, as the risk of cancer is lower and higher if it is before the age of 30. For the detection of this type of cancer, a well-known low-dose computed tomography test has been used in recent years to help find abnormal areas in the lungs that may be cancerous.
People can be treated for this cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatments based on the stage of the disease and other factors such as the person’s general condition, lung function.
“The pulmonologist is not only about detecting cancer, we are working on prevention, helping people to stop smoking since the cigarette not only provokes lung cancer but it can also cause bladder, head and neck cancer, among other things.