Lung cancer is a malignant tumor of the lung that originates in the bronchus, and is mainly seen in middle-aged and elderly people. In addition, air pollution, long-term exposure to occupational dusts such as asbestos, long-term exposure to ionizing radiation, and a family history of lung cancer are also high-risk factors for developing lung cancer.
Common symptoms include cough, chest pain, hemoptysis, and distant metastasis in mid- to late-stage lung cancer. Patients often have chest tightness, weakness, weight loss, bone pain, and some patients may develop signs and symptoms such as pleural effusion and facial edema.
The survival time of patients with mid- to late-stage lung cancer is related to the type of tumor cells, the extent of metastasis, the presence or absence of other underlying diseases, and the treatment modality. Small-cell lung cancer is highly malignant and metastases to organs such as brain, bone, and kidney can occur early. Survival is shorter than that of non-small-cell lung cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 1% and a 2-year survival rate of less than 10% for patients with mid- to late-stage disease, and most patients can hardly survive longer than 3 months without treatment; non-small-cell lung cancer has an extended survival period compared to small-cell lung cancer, with an average survival of about 1 year.