How to diagnose lung cancer early? These methods can diagnose early lung cancer

In recent years, cancer is common in my country. The incidence of many cancers is increasing, especially lung cancer. Yunnan and Xuanwei are two places with relatively high incidence of lung cancer in my country. Most of them are related to the patients' work. For lung cancer, early detection and early treatment will have a good prognosis, but how to diagnose lung cancer in its early stages?

Due to the poor treatment effect of advanced lung cancer, early diagnosis and treatment have become important means of preventing and treating lung cancer.

How can early diagnosis be achieved?

First, we recommend that residents over 45 years old have a health check-up every year, which should include taking chest X-rays in the front and lateral positions. If you are a smoker, even if you are 35 years old, you should also have a health check-up every year. If you are a heavy smoker, smoking two packs a day for 30 or 40 years, you should have a chest check-up every six months. This is a simple, easy, and economical way to detect lung cancer early. Regions and units with conditions should conduct low-dose spiral CT screening for moderate and heavy smokers over 55 years old.

Second, seek medical attention based on symptoms. If you have an irritating dry cough, blood in your sputum, or you cough normally but the cough pattern and coughing habits are different from before, you should be alert to these symptoms and go to the hospital for timely treatment and take a chest X-ray.

In our clinical work, we often encounter lung cancer patients who are misdiagnosed as other diseases such as tuberculosis or lung infection. By the time the thoracic surgeon intervenes, the disease has reached the advanced stage, which is very distressing. To improve this situation, on the one hand, we should strengthen the continuing education of lung cancer prevention and treatment knowledge for doctors in various departments, and on the other hand, give full play to the multidisciplinary advantages of the lung cancer center. The members of the lung cancer center should include medical staff from departments such as thoracic surgery, respiratory surgery, oncology, radiology, and pathology. They should conduct multidisciplinary consultations for patients suspected of lung cancer, make early diagnoses, and carry out targeted individualized treatments. It can also make the multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment of lung cancer a reality.

Patients should do some homework before visiting a lung cancer specialist:

Think carefully about the changes in symptoms from the onset of the disease to the time of consultation, as well as the examinations and treatments in other hospitals. Try to explain the above situation to the lung cancer expert in simple and clear sentences within a limited time.

Do not forget to bring imaging materials taken at the local hospital during previous visits, including chest X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, etc. If you have undergone surgery, you should bring relevant surgical records and pathology reports. If you have undergone chemotherapy, you should be able to provide the experts with the chemotherapy plan, chemotherapy course, and evaluation of the chemotherapy effects, such as changes in tumor size and test results of blood tumor markers.

Early medical treatment means life-saving for lung cancer patients. Therefore, it must be taken seriously, especially for people working in high-risk occupations. They must pay attention to changes in themselves. It is best to go to the hospital regularly for some check-ups. If the patient has been diagnosed, they should stay away from pathogenic factors and actively receive treatment.