Is there more than Tobacco to Lung Cancer?

A Tribute to my Parents

My parents always took pride in the fact that they never suffered a cold, that the flu vaccine that they had every year was enough for them to go through the winter without needing to know what a tissue was… My mother was 78 years old, when the cold that wasn’t expected appeared one day, a cough with phlegm that didn’t appear to go away, that was her only symptom, but after taking mucolytics for three weeks and not getting better, she decided to pay a visit to a Specialist that she trusted, who after obtaining an X Ray of her thorax found the fateful patch. Diagnostic…Lung Cancer… Adenocarcinoma, one of the most common types found in non-smokers, however it can also be found in smokers or people with scars due to pneumonias or tuberculosis that have happened in the past… she died three years after that diagnostic.

My father was 83 years old… He had been feeling dizzy for a while when he woke up and went to bed, that timed with a watch lasted 16 seconds, he consulted it with his General Practitioner who prescribed him a number of drips for his circulation as well as 

an X-Ray of his vertebrae… they came back normal, however the fateful patch appeared on his lung, Diagnostic… Lung Cancer, the Microcytic type that is common in smokers… He died a year and a half after the diagnostic. My mother never smoked, but she had had Tuberculosis when she was younger… My father smoked from the age of 15 until he was 40 years old... It had been 43 years since he had stopped.

Lung cancer is the type of cancer that kills the greatest number of people worldwide. It is most commonly found in 90% smokers whilst the remaining 10% is due to the inhalation of gases, mainly Radon that I will be talking about at the end of this article.

The symptoms will always depend on the section of the lung that is found in:

• Cough with phlegm or phlegm that doesn’t seem to go away.
• Saliva with blood coming from the lungs, not from gums.
• Dyspnoea or fatigue.
• Dysphonia or alteration of the voice.
• Drooping of the eyelid or Palpebral Ptosis.

The diagnostic is completed with an X-Ray, but tumours only appear when they have reached a size that would be too late for its treatment… A CT scan would be ideal because it would find tumours that would easy to eradicate, especially the CT scan with low radiation.

The treatments, depending on their stages, would be:

• Surgery.
• Chemotherapy.
• Radiotherapy.
• In the near future, Immunotherapy.

When it comes to prevention, apart from smokers stopping smoking and not be present in places where people smoke, Radon will be highlighted at the end of this article, as it is something that is rarely spoken of about as often.

Radon is a gas that is emitted after Uranium or Thorium is disintegrated, which are present in rocks or land that is rich in Granite. This gas lacks a smell or a flavour and damages lung cells after is being inhaled making it the second cause of lung cancer. This gas is present in such a high number of houses, that a map has been created of locations both in the EU and United Kingdom where it can be located.

It can be found in the UK Maps of Radon for the UK and can be also found in Spain. This gas can be detected with simple devices that are sold in hardware stores and that way measures can be taken to eliminate it or reduce it.

Lastly, I wish my parents a peaceful rest; this is only a ‘see you tomorrow’ and a big hug, a very big hug until eternity.

Dr. J. Hurtado Martínez

Medical Director of HealthSalus