If there are 4 features on the head, it may be a signal that lung cancer is coming, and it is time to get checked
After retirement, Uncle Xu was idle at home and felt that he was in good health, so he went to a restaurant to help others cook.
But after March this year, his physical fitness has always been good, and he began to cough non-stop. When he got up in the morning, his face was still a little swollen.
At first, Uncle Xu didn't care, thinking that he had been staying up late lately and his immune system was low. He regarded it as a common cold, and took some medicine to deal with it. However, in April, the cough still did not improve, and the condition worsened. When I slept until midnight, I often felt breathless and woke up .
One day, Uncle Xu got up and felt a terrible headache and dizziness. When he got up, he almost lost his footing. He slowly walked to the bathroom, and found that his face was swollen like a pig's head, and his neck had become a lot thicker . Feeling something was wrong, Uncle Xu quickly called his son and asked him to take a look.
The son rushed back from the city immediately and took Uncle Xu to the large hospital in the provincial capital for examination. After a detailed examination, it was found that Uncle Xu was in the middle and late stages of lung cancer, and had metastasized, and the tumor had compressed the superior vena cava .
Uncle Xu was puzzled. He didn't smoke or drink alcohol on weekdays, so why did he suddenly suffer from lung cancer?
1. Most lung cancers come out of "Qi"?
According to statistics, about 787,000 new cases of lung cancer occur each year, and about 631,000 people die each year due to lung cancer. In the past 40 years, the death rate of lung cancer in China has increased nearly fourfold . Why is this?
When it comes to lung cancer, the first "culprit" that many people may think of is smoking.
After cigarettes burn, they will produce a lot of smoke, which contains more than 7,000 kinds of chemicals, hundreds of harmful substances, including 69 kinds of known carcinogens. This means that when the human body is exposed to thick smoke, carcinogens will be ingested, causing DNA damage, gene mutation, and then leading to tumorigenesis.
However, in addition to cigarette smoke, the occurrence of lung cancer is also related to a variety of "qi" in daily life. We must pay attention to:
The first is kitchen fumes . When the cooking oil reaches the smoking point (between 107° and 250°), it will produce fumes. The fumes are mixed with harmful substances such as benzopyrene. If the hood is not turned on in advance, it is easy to be inhaled into the lungs through the air. Department, causing harm to the body;
Second, industrial waste gas , working in the factory area, often in contact with toxic gases or dust such as asbestos, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, etc. , will also increase the incidence of lung cancer;
The third is bad mood . Under the bad mood such as anxiety and anger for a long time, neuroendocrine function will be prone to disorder, organ dysfunction, and immunity of the body will be weakened, thereby weakening the ability of the immune system to identify cancer cells;
Fourth, indoor volatile organic compounds , such as house decoration, adding new furniture, etc., will more or less volatilize some organic substances , including formaldehyde, phenol and other first-class carcinogens . If you do not pay attention to ventilation, it is easy to inhale these unknowingly. Toxic gas.
Therefore, in our daily life, we should be more alert to these "qi" and stay away from lung cancer.
Second, long-term cough is lung cancer? 4 signs of the head to pay attention to
More than half of lung cancer patients have cough as the first symptom, but cough is very common. Common cold can also cause cough. How to distinguish the two?
Half of the coughs caused by lung cancer are irritating dry coughs, mostly non-phlegm coughs, or a small amount of white sticky phlegm . Some patients may have some symptoms in the phlegm. This symptom cannot be relieved by drinking water or taking cough medicine. If it is delayed, the condition will gradually worsen, and even accompanied by chest tightness, chest pain, fever and other symptoms.
And ordinary cough, usually through drinking water or taking medicine will be significantly relieved, and basically improved within a week.
In addition, sometimes the symptoms of lung cancer may also appear on the head. If you have the following signs, you should be vigilant:
1. Headache
When the tumor has brain metastases, it will cause headache, which is mainly related to increased intracranial pressure or cerebral edema caused by the tumor. Headache often occurs in the morning or at rest, accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
2. Fever
Patients with early-stage lung cancer have less fever, but when the cancer tissue necroses, it may cause low fever and antibiotic treatment is ineffective. When low-grade fever persists, the lungs appear severe, and long-term treatment is ineffective, vigilance should be aroused.
3. Facial swelling
Facial edema is also a common manifestation of lung cancer patients. Once the tumor causes systemic edema, it can lead to edema of the head, face and even congestion, and obvious swelling of the neck, accompanied by purple skin and lips.
4. Decreased vision
When brain metastases from lung cancer occur, the increased intracranial pressure will affect the venous return of the eyeball, resulting in congestion and edema , which can cause retinal damage to the fundus, resulting in decreased vision.
3. Why do some people die soon after being diagnosed with lung cancer?
Many people think that suffering from lung cancer is equivalent to a terminal illness, that its mortality rate is quite high, and the treatment effect is not ideal.
However, the survival rate of lung cancer mainly depends on the type of lung cancer, the physical condition of the patient, and the location of the lung cancer metastasis .
For patients with early detection or slow tumor growth, they can undergo drug treatment and then surgery, and have a very good chance of recovery. Of course, lung cancer focuses on both treatment and prevention. For daily prevention and control of lung cancer, everyone should do the following:
- Avoid active and passive smoking;
- Ensure indoor ventilation and ventilation, use a range hood;
- Wear protective masks when going out, and take protective measures for people with occupational exposure;
- Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, do not eat moldy and spoiled food;
- sleep well;
- Actively exercise scientifically and keep an optimistic and cheerful attitude.
The last thing to be reminded is that the high-risk groups of lung cancer include smoking pack years ≥ 30 years, passive smoking ≥ 20 years; suffering from tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; one-year occupational exposure history; parents, children and first-degree relatives of siblings To confirm lung cancer, regular physical examinations should be used to help early detection of lesions and control of the disease.
Cigarettes are a major cause of lung cancer, but some invisible gases in life may also be high-risk factors for lung cancer, so whether you are at home or going out, you must pay attention to protection, and find that repeated coughing has not healed, or you have a headache. If you have strange symptoms, you must go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible.
References:
[1] "[Popular Science] There is more than one cause of lung cancer, why do we stress so much about quitting smoking? ". Fudan University Affiliated Cancer Hospital. 2020-05-30
[2] "Why do patients with lung cancer have edema, and how to deal with it? ". Cancer Rehabilitation Circle. 2019-12-12
[3] "The husband and wife both suffer from lung cancer! Is cancer contagious? Doctor: It is very important to do these eight things well". Popular Science China. 2022-05-31
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