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Ellya Nguyen
Professor Widdison
HLTH1020-F16
November 8, 2016
Lung Cancer
A nutrition-related chronic disease that I have chose to write about is lung
cancer; not only is this disease one of the most common reasons for death in the
United States and other parts of the world, but it is a chronic disease that has been
in my family for a couple of generations. Lung cancer is known to be one of the most
common cancers in both men and women and is the leading cause of cancer deaths
in the U.S. (cancer.org). One of the main causes of lung cancer is smoking, however,
individuals who do not smoke may still be able to develop lung cancer from secondhand smoke, breathing in pollution/polluted air, radiation, and also poor
nutrition/health. Symptoms of lung cancer may include a sharp chest pain that is
constant, a cough that is also constant and gets worse, swelling of the neck and face,
fatigue, and shortness of breath (medilineplus.gov). There have been several cases
where individuals will have these symptoms but ignore these issues and the cancer
progresses into different stages, eventually getting worse and leading to death.
Several individuals may not be aware that lung cancer is treated differently
depending on what stage the cancer has reached or what type of lung cancer they
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may have. There are two different types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer
and small cell lung cancer. Both Non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung
cancer are a disease in which the cancer cells form inside the tissues of the lungs,
however, there are several different types of non-small cell lung cancer and small
cell lung cancer. What makes the type of cancer in the lungs different is the type of
cancer cells that are present and grow within the tissue of the lungs. For example,
different types of non-small cell cancer include squamous cell carcinoma, large cell
carcinoma, pleomorphic, carcinoid tumor, salivary gland carcinoma, and
adenocarcinoma. Small cell lung cancer only has two main types and does not have
as many variations as non-small cell cancer. The two types are small cell carcinoma
and combined small cell carcinoma. Each of these cells vary from one another in
certain ways such as shape, size, and where they begin to grow, but they all have
one thing in common, which is they are cancerous.
Along with the different types of lung cancer also comes the different type of
stage the cancer has reached. Most cancers are diagnosed into different stages and
doctors will typically run several tests to see what stage the cancer has reached, if it
has just begun or if it has spread to other areas of the body. Stages of small cell
cancer are limited-stage small cancer and extensive-small cell cancer. Stages of nonsmall cell lung cancer include occult stage (hidden), stage 0, stage I, stage II, stage
IIIA, stage IIIB, and stage IV. Different tests that are ran by doctors to indicate which
stage of lung cancer an individual has reached include MRIs, CT scans, PET scans,
radionuclide bone scan, pulmonary function tests, endoscopic ultrasounds, lymph
node biopsy, bone narrow aspiration and biopsy, and mediastinoscopys. Treatment
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for lung cancer may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgeries and several
different types of medications and drugs. These treatments, as well as the tests for
screening lung cancer, can be quite expensive and it would be quite cheaper to avoid
these tests and cancer risks in the first place, not only to save money in your wallet,
but to also save your life.
Lung cancer is a serious disease and it comes with many risks. The best way
to prevent lung cancer is to obtain a healthy diet and avoid bad habits such as
smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol. Another prevention of any cancer is to obtain
a healthy diet and obtain physical exercise in which can also help to avoid any type
of chronic disease. Although smoking is one of the leading causes of lung cancer,
there are also several factors that can lead to lung cancer even if one is not a tobacco
smoker. Other factors that may cause lung cancer are pollution, bad health and even
inhaling second hand smoke may cause lung cancer. When an individual is a tobacco
smoker it affects their health in so many different ways. Not only is it harming their
lungs, but it can lead to heart disease, strokes, periodontal disease which can lead to
losing their teeth, depression, anxiety and diabetes just to name a few (cdc.gov).
Several people are not aware of the risks and affects of smoking and how it cannot
only harm themselves, but also the ones around them. Smoking and lung cancer can
also harm an individual’s offspring. Lung cancer can be traced in genetics and affect
one’s health if there is a family history of cigarette smoke.
Lung cancer is a chronic disease that has been in my family for a couple of
generations. Both my mother’s father and brother were heavy smokers and they
both developed lung cancer. My grandfather developed lung cancer at
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approximately 65 years old and my uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer at quite a
younger age, approximately 45 years old. Unfortunately, both my grandfather and
my uncle passed away just a few years after they were diagnosed with the lung
cancer because they were unable to afford treatment which caused the cancer to
spread and eventually lead to their deaths.
My mother grew up with her family in Hue, Vietnam, which is known to be a
third world country. She grew up in a time where smoking tobacco was quite
popular and several individuals were not completely aware of the harm and damage
that cigarettes could do to one’s health and body. Cigarettes were and still are very
popular in Vietnam, and unlike the United States, individuals are not as educated
about the effects of cigarette smoke. There aren’t any age restrictions on purchasing
or using alcohol and tobacco in Vietnam like there is here in the United States. In
order to purchase tobacco in most states of the U.S., an individuals must be of 18
years or older and to purchase alcohol, an individuals must be of 21 years or older.
In Vietnam, there is no age limit to purchasing tobacco or alcohol so you will tend to
see children purchase tobacco or alcohol for their parents or even themselves.
Without there being an age restriction in Vietnam to purchase these items, it makes
it easier for individuals to become users at a very young age. On the streets of
Vietnam, you may see children as young as five years old smoking a cigarette on the
side of the street and this scene is not unusual, it’s actually quite common. With this
being said, both my grandfather and my uncle started smoking cigarettes at quite a
very young age and they were also not as educated with the knowledge of the harm
and consequences cigarette smoke would bring to others and their lives.
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My mother said that for the longest time that she could remember, almost
everyone in her family smoked tobacco. Her cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers and
several of her friends did too. Luckily, she has never been quite the cigarette smoker
herself. With Vietnam being a country that is quite poor and where smoking
cigarettes are very common, nutrients has also been an issue amongst several
individuals living in the country. Lack of food and proper nutrition are quite
common in Vietnam and when individuals are exposed to second hand cigarette
smoke or are cigarette smokers themselves, the risks for lung cancer, strokes, heart
disease, and diabetes increase due to low levels of nutrition. Another factor that may
increase lung cancer and other chronic diseases may be the lack of physical activity
and exercise. It is quite common in today’s world that several people are not as
active or exercise as much as they should; this slows down metabolism and heart
rate making a person more susceptible to chronic diseases such as lung cancer,
diabetes and heart disease.
Chronic diseases such as lung cancer, diabetes and heart disease are one of
the leading causes of death in the United States and the number of people diagnosed
with these diseases in the U.S. and other countries of the world increases each year.
Lung cancer is known to be one of the most common cancers found in both men and
women and it is also known to be a disease that plays a leading role in many deaths
each year around the world. Unfortunately, lung cancer has been present in my
family and close relatives, meaning that I may have a risk of developing the disease,
however, I believe that I am well educated about the risks of cigarette smoke and
can be able to obtain a healthy diet with exercise which may lower my risk of
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developing lung cancer. I hope that like myself, that other individuals here in the U.S.
and other countries can become fully aware and educated of the risks and dangers
of lung cancer and other chronic diseases
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Work Cited
http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsstatistics/index
https://medlineplus.gov/lungcancer.html
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/?gclid=CjwKEAiA0pDBBRCF
toPyguTh8AUSJADNWeuxetvmgbUSxUoSgfqwrPdtikuc4ugk2eZs4l1S0CQCxoCcrPw_wcB
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lungcancer/basics/definition/con-20025531
Trang Phan (Mother)
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Ellya Nguyen
Professor Widdison
HLTH1020-F16
November 30, 2016
Reflection
Through out this course, I can say that I have truly learned more in depth
about our health and nutrition. I’ve taken a health course before in High School but
when it came down to the learning outcome, I feel like I have learned a bit more
about foundations of health and nutrition after taking this course here at Salt Lake
Community College. Another course that I can say that was similar to this
foundation of nutrition course was a body strength and toning class that I took for a
general education requirement. In that course, we worked hard on enhancing our
activity levels and also focused on eating better and having a proper diet. We had to
keep a journal of exactly what we ate every day for seven days. In this foundation of
nutrition course, we also had to record everything we ate for a total of three days. It
made it easier to do this because I have done it once before previously in my body
strength and toning course.
I’ve always been cautious of what I eat and I typically try to eat healthy.
Taking this course taught me a little bit more in depth about certain foods, benefits
of exercising, and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I wouldn’t say that this course
drastically changed my knowledge about health and nutrition, but I would definitely
say that it has helped and I’ve learned a few things. However, in this course we were
required to write a research paper about heath related chronic disease that ran in
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our family. I wrote this paper on lung cancer that has been present in my family
through out a couple of generations. This research paper required me to look in
depth about lung cancer and also gave me the chance to learn more about this
disease that has ran in my family. I learned a lot about lung cancer including the
causes, preventions, treatment and also the different type of lung cancers. I found
that no matter what the assignment is, research paper or even a small report, doing
the right amount of research can make a huge difference in your learning and
outcome of your success in work.