Small Cell Lung Cancer

SCLC is also known as small cell cancer of the lung and there is another type known as non-small cell cancer. SCLC is responsible for about twenty percent of all the cases of lung cancers. This type is called the oat cell carcinoma because smaller cells located in the lungs have a comparable facade to oats. This cancer grows when there is a burst of rapid uncontrollable growth in the smaller cells in the lungs; it ultimately leads to a malevolent tumor forming. This article discusses four risk factors that contribute to the growth of this cancer.

Tobacco smoking is what researchers are saying is the most hazardous aspect of behavior that will initiate cancers, especially in the lungs. It is powerfully linked to SCLC and is considered to be accountable for over ninety percent of cases of lung cancers. Non smokers are put at risk by being around others that add second hand smoke to the environment. This significantly raises the risk of contracting this cancer. Carcinogens in tobacco are the source of the risk; there are over seventy different types of carcinogens in tobacco.

Being exposed to uranium amplifies the likelihood of all categories of lung cancer, though it is most often connected with the development of SCLC. A combination of uranium and tobacco smoke augments your chances of developing SCLC even more.

The reason uranium raises the risk of catching SCLC is that the ore is radioactive. Radon is also highly radioactive. Continued exposure to radioactive materials causes cancer. When exposed to uranium, it is usually inhaled in the form of a gas. The radioactive materials travel directly to the lungs. The radioactive materials then cause cancerous growth in the smaller cells of the lungs.

 Asbestos causes a more unknown kind of cancer called Mesothelioma. Asbestos contact mingled with the smoke of tobacco significantly increases your smaller cell lung cancer risk. Many lawsuits are ongoing that concern the contact with asbestos on job sites or in buildings that used asbestos and have not been renovated to remove the substance.

If a body has a great diet and eats healthy as a way of living, not just dieting, they decrease their risk of developing SCLC because they are consuming adequate amounts of anti-oxidants along with vitamins. This will help thwart cell damage. When the body is deficient in these anti-oxidants and nutrients from vitamins, the smaller cells of the lung are more susceptible to this type of cancer.