The prevalence of lung cancer is increasing year by year, and the disease is related to smoking, environmental pollution, radiation, genetics, diet and other causes.
Once the disease is developed, patients will have cough, sputum production, hemoptysis, chest pain, hoarseness and other symptoms.
This disease can generally be diagnosed by CT, but in addition to CT, the disease can also be diagnosed by other methods, let's take a look at it.
1. Chest X-ray
Early diagnosis of the disease can be diagnosed by chest X-ray, through this method can not only show the typical signs of the disease "S-shaped reflection", but also clearly show the size of the tumor, the location, the aggression to nearby organs, the accompanying inflammatory lesions, etc., which is an important means of early detection of lung cancer.
2. Bronchoscopy
Bronchoscopy is one of the main methods of diagnosing the disease, but in order to confirm the pathological diagnosis, it is necessary to perform a mediastinal lymph node biopsy (EBUS) under the guidance of ultrasound if necessary. This type of test is usually indicated for patients with central lung cancer.
3. Thoracoscopy
Thoracoscopy is indicated in patients who have undergone bronchoscopy and percutaneous punctures to obtain a lesional specimen of the lung or who have pleural lesions.
This test can remove tissues such as tiny lesions, pleura, pericardium, and suspicious lymph nodes at the patient's tumor site, and send them to biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and clinical stage of the disease.
4. Pathological examination
Pathological examination of the disease mainly includes genetics, cytology, histology and other items. Cytology is a test of cells obtained from endoscopy, sputum, and pleural effusion that allows for a preliminary diagnosis of the disease.
Genetic examination is a test for tissues at the tumor site, such as EGFR gene mutations, ALK and ROS1 gene fusion detection, etc., which is conducive to the individualized targeted treatment of the disease.
Histological examination, on the other hand, is the examination of the living tissue of the lungs, which is the gold standard for confirming the diagnosis of the disease.
5. Laboratory examination
Laboratory tests also include a number of contents, including blood routine, liver and kidney function and other immune biochemical and coagulation function tests, which can facilitate the assessment of the overall condition of patients with the disease before and after surgery.
In addition, the combined examination of tumor markers such as CEA, NSE, CYFRA21-1, ProGRP, SCC-Ag, etc., has certain reference value for the diagnosis of lung cancer.
The above is the relevant method used to diagnose lung cancer, after the diagnosis is made by the above method, the patient needs to be treated according to his actual situation. So how should the disease be treated?
1. Interventional therapy
Under the guidance of imaging equipment, the treatment can be mechanically directed into the lesion site to treat the patient by means of items such as guide wires, catheters, and needles.
In addition, advanced patients who are inoperable and ineffective with systemic chemotherapy can be treated with tracheal artery perfusion chemotherapy, while bronchoscopic intervention is indicated for patients who are unable to operate and radiotherapy.
2. Surgical treatment
Surgery is the most important and preferred treatment for the disease, which is suitable for patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the early, middle, or small number of intermediate and advanced stages.
After this treatment, the 5-year survival rate of patients after surgery is 30% to 44%, although the mortality rate after treatment is also 1% to 2%. Early surgical treatment usually achieves a healing effect.
In summary, in addition to CT, lung cancer can also be diagnosed by bronchoscopy, X-ray, thoracoscopy, laboratory, pathology and other methods. After the diagnosis is clear, it is recommended that patients undergo surgery, intervention, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, drugs and other treatments according to the specific condition.
After treatment, patients need to do a good job of daily care, do not smoke, exercise moderately, and enhance cardiopulmonary function. At the same time, breathe more fresh air, open windows indoors, and ensure air circulation.