Abstract

PATTERNS AND PRESENTATIONS OF LUNG CANCER IN IRAQI PATIENTS

Dr. Ahmed Abdul Jabbar Jawad Alaskari* and Dr. Kudeir Jasim Sabeeh Al-Rawaq

Abstract

Lung cancer is the malignant transformation of lung tissue. The term “lung cancer” is applied to tumors that develop from tracheal parenchyma, bronchi, bronchioles or lung parenchyma.[1] Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for men and women, exceeding the mortality of breast, colon, and prostate cancer combined.[18] The major risk factor for lung cancer is undoubtedly cigarette smoking, which probably accounts for about 90% of cases. There is a clear relationship between risk and the age of smoking onset, the number of years of smoking, and the number of cigarettes smoked per day, smoking cessation at any age reduces the risk of lung cancer, which drops to between 30 to50% of that of continuing smokers after 10 years. With chronic exposure to tobacco smoke, the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory mucosa undergoes squamous metaplasia and eventually a field change can occur with the development of carcinoma in situ before the start of frankly invasive cancer.[3]

Keywords: .