Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

In the early stages of lung cancer, there are usually no signs and symptoms. Symptoms start to be noticed as lung cancer progresses. Some of these symptoms are:

Cough that does not go away and gets worse
Chest pain
Repeated chest infections
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Cough with blood
Lack of energy
Unexplained weight loss
If you experience some of these symptoms, such as breathlessness or a persistent cough,

visit a general practitioner.

Smoking: lung cancer is most frequently caused by smoking. Smoking is thought to be the cause of 90% of lung cancer cases. Male smokers run the greatest risk of getting lung cancer.
Passive smoking: passive smoking increases the risk of lung cancer by 20 to 30%.
Previous exposure to radiation therapy
Exposure to Radon: small amounts of uranium, which are present in all rocks and soils, are the source of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas. Radon can harm your lungs if you breathe it in, especially if you smoke.
Long exposure to some substances: asbestos, chromium, nickel, arsenic
Family history of lung cancer

Spirometer: your doctor may ask you to breathe into this device which measures how much air you breathe in and out.
Chest X-ray: typically, the first test performed to identify lung cancer is a chest X-ray. On X-rays, most lung tumors show up as a white-gray mass. However, because chest X-rays frequently cannot differentiate between cancer and other illnesses, including a lung abscess, they cannot provide a conclusive diagnosis.
CT scan: You will receive an injection containing a specific dye called a contrast medium before to your CT scan, which helps to enhance the image quality.
PET-CT scan: If the findings of a CT scan revealed that you have cancer at an early stage, a PET-CT scan may be performed. You will receive an injection of a slightly radioactive substance prior to your PET-CT scan.
Bronchoscopy and biopsy: during a bronchoscopy, a doctor can examine the interior of your airways (by the bronchoscope which represents a thin tube with a camera at its end; it is inserted through your mouth or nose, down your throat, and airways) and take a little sample of cells.

Surgery: an operation where doctors remove cancer tissue.
Chemotherapy: using special medicines to shrink or kill cancer cells. The drugs can be in form of pills or intravenous injections, or sometimes both. (Ex: cisplatin, carboplatin, docetaxel, combination including cisplatin/carboplatin + gemcitabine, vinorelbine/ a taxane)
Radiation therapy: using high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.
Targeted therapy: using drugs to block the growth and spread of cancer cells. (Ex: gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib, osimertinib, erlotinib + bevacizumab, dabrafenib + trametinib, crizotinib, ceritinib, alectinib)
Immunotherapy: treatment designed to strengthen the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. (Ex: durvalumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab)
Different treatment options could be combined according to the stage and type of NSCLC, the patient’s conditions, and the presence of any other disease at the same time.

Deciding the best treatment for your case is challenging. Your pulmonologist, thoracic surgeon, and oncologist will make recommendations to help you with choosing the treatment option.