Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Lung cancer is the leading way in cancer death related in men and women. More than one million death worldwide caused by lung cancer every year. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath, coughing (including coughing up blood), and weight loss. However, when lung cancer symptoms shows its already in advance stage.

Usually those who found that they have lung cancer when they do medical check up.Lung cancer is often seen on chest x-ray and CT scan. The diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy. This is usually performed via bronchoscopy or CT-guided biopsy.

To diagnose lung cancer, doctors may use:

• Chest Radiograph (x-ray)
  When performing chest radiograph may reveal an obvious mass, widening of the mediastinum (suggestive of spread to lymph nodes there), atelectasis (collapse), consolidation (pneumonia), or pleural effusion. If there is no sign of lung cancer in radiographic the diagnosis stop here, but if the patient has a high suspicion in lung cancer such as a heavy smoker, the diagnosis continued by CT scan or Bronchoscopy.
• CT scan or Bronchoscopy
  This lung cancer diagnosis objective is to identified the tumor type.
• Combination Diagnosis
  Abnormal findings in cells ("atypia") in sputum are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Sputum cytologic examination combined with other screening examinations may have a role in the early detection of lung cancer.

There are other advantage when undergo lung cancer diagnosis. On chest radiograph patient may found another non-malignant diseases other than lung cancer. These include infectious causes such as tuberculosis or pneumonia, or inflammatory conditions such as sarcoidosis. These diseases can result in mediastinal lymphadenopathy or lung nodules, and sometimes mimic lung cancers. Lung cancer can also be an incidental finding: a solitary pulmonary nodule (also called a coin lesion) on a chest radiograph or CT scan taken for an unrelated reason.

Main Article: Lung Cancer Treatment