In the United States alone, cancer is the second leading cause of death according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016). The CDC estimates that approximately 150,000 perish each year due to lung cancer while 200,000 people are diagnosed. Therefore prevention is paramount and the early detection of it even more so.
How lung cancer is contracted is unique to each patient. However, smoking and second-hand smoke greatly increases the chance of a person being diagnosed with lung cancer according to the American Cancer Society. When a person inhales the cigarette, they are introducing harmful carcinogens that disrupt the biology of ones’ lung tissue. Over time the tissue is no longer able to completely repair itself leading to lung cancer. Li
Now more prevalent than ever, smog is thought to be catalyzing the amount of patients being diagnosed with lung cancer every year. For example, in November of 2013, an eight-year-old girl became the youngest patient ever to contract lung cancer in China according to AFP, China’s official news agency. Living along a busy road, the girl had been exposed to smog for most of her life leading to the diagnosis.
One step people may want to take to lessen their chances of being diagnosed with lung cancer is to carefully choose where you want to live. Living in a Carmel Valley home or other country setting, where the air quality is good is one way to mitigate bad city air.
Even though smoking and air quality are big contributors to the amount of people being diagnosed with lung cancer every year, there are people that have never touched a cigarette in their lives. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and seeing a physician is recommended to spot or prevent the formation of lung cancer. In addition, modern science has made breakthrough strides in the detection of lung cancer.
Some of the first symptoms people experience with lung cancer are not typically what they would think is lung cancer. Some have reported chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and an escalating cough that lingers. Some lung cancer patients that see their doctors for what they think may be bronchitis or pneumonia turns out being lung cancer. While living in a warmer climate is fine for some, others like a bit more moist environment like Carmel Valley. Homes that work for others are in very dry areas like Arizona. There is no one climate that is ideal for those with respiratory issues.
With advances in modern technology, scientists have been able to create more reliable means of detecting possible lung cancer. In September of 2014, the European Lung Foundation released a novel study about the use of breath tests to assess whether or not a patient tested positive for lung cancer. The idea was that patients with lung cancer had a higher exhaled breath temperature than those who didn’t. They found that the longer a person smoked and were positive for lung cancer, the higher their exhaled breath temperature. Regardless if the patient smoked or not, there is a cutoff temperature that lung cancer patients possess across the board. This makes the positive diagnosis a lot more accurate. Other means of lung cancer detection are made through biopsies. When a doctor speculates that a patient may have lung cancer, they are sedated while the doctor removes a tissue sample. Pathologists then examine the sample and determine whether or not the cancer is present in the cells.
Every year, lung cancer claims many victims. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the location of where you live, and being conscious of those smoking around you can improve your odds of not falling victim to it. Carmel Valley homes can be ideal for those who want a healthy active lifestyle that is not too hot and not too cold. Where you would like to reside because air quality should be a factor when looking for a new place to call home, be it Carmel Valley or Phoenix Arizona.