Can Growths in the Lungs Be Non-cancerous
Discovering a growth in your lungs can immediately make you wonder, can growths in the lungs be non-cancerous? Just hearing about lung abnormalities can cause a lot of worry.
But here’s something that might ease your mind: not all lung growths are cancerous. In fact, many are entirely benign and pose no threat to your health.
How does lung cancer develop?
Normally, a cellular process follows strict rules—old cells die, and new ones replace them in an orderly fashion. However, cancer disrupts this harmony.
- DNA Damage: Certain triggers damage the DNA in lung cells, causing them to ignore the body’s natural stop signals.
- Uncontrolled Growth: These rogue cells multiply uncontrollably, forming masses called tumours.
- Invasion: Unlike healthy cells, cancerous cells invade nearby tissues and can spread to other parts of the body.
The transformation from a healthy cell to a cancerous one doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a gradual process that can take years or even decades.
Why is lung cancer challenging?
- Varied Growth Patterns: Lung cancer or kanser paru-paru (lung cancer in Malay) can develop in different parts of the lung and behave differently depending on its type and location.
- Growth Speed: Some types grow slowly and stay localised for years, while others are aggressive and spread quickly.
Causes and Risk Factors of Lung Cancer
- Smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer. Cigarette smoke contains over 70 carcinogens that damage lung cells. The more someone smokes, the higher their risk. Even light smokers aren’t safe, as no level of smoking is risk-free.
Lung cancer, however, doesn’t only affect smokers. About 10-15% of people with lung cancer have never smoked, often due to environmental factors, workplace exposure, or genetics.
Environmental Factors
- Radon Gas: The second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps from the ground into buildings. It’s invisible, odorless, and tasteless, making it a silent threat.
- Air Pollution: Living in heavily trafficked urban areas exposes you to air pollution, which contributes to lung cancer risk.
Occupational Hazards
- Asbestos: Commonly associated with industrial and construction work, exposure to asbestos significantly raises lung cancer risk.
- Diesel Fumes and Industrial Chemicals: Prolonged exposure to diesel exhaust, arsenic, chromium, and certain other chemicals elevates the likelihood of cancer development.
Genetic Factors
- Family History: If lung cancer runs in your family, you may carry genetic variations that make your cells more vulnerable to damage from environmental triggers. While this doesn’t guarantee cancer, it does increase your susceptibility.
Early Warning Signs of Lung Cancer
- Persistent Cough: A cough lasting more than two weeks of a cold should be taken seriously, especially if it changes in nature—becoming deeper, more frequent, or producing different-coloured sputum.
- Blood in Cough or Sputum: Even streaks of blood should prompt immediate medical evaluation.
- Breathing Changes: Gradual changes in breathing can be easy to ignore, but becoming winded during routine activities or experiencing persistent shortness of breath is a warning sign.
- Chest Pain: Pain that doesn’t go away with rest or changes position could indicate an issue.
- Unexplained Weight Loss and Fatigue: Losing weight without trying or feeling persistently tired despite adequate rest may signal your body’s response to cancer.
- Hoarseness: Lasting more than two weeks, hoarseness might suggest a growth pressing on the nerve controlling your vocal cords.
- Frequent Respiratory Infections: Recurring pneumonia or infections could indicate a blockage in the lungs caused by a growth.
Detecting Lung Cancer vs. Non-Cancerous Growths
Modern medical imaging has revolutionised our ability to detect abnormalities in the chest early, often before symptoms appear.
When a chest X-ray or CT scan reveals a suspicious spot, further investigation is required to determine whether it’s cancerous or something less concerning.
Non-cancerous Lung Growths
- Benign tumours (e.g., haematomas): These contain a mixture of normal lung tissue arranged incorrectly. They often appear as coin-shaped lesions on imaging and rarely cause problems.
- Granulomas: These are small inflammatory nodules formed by the immune system in response to infections or irritants. They can persist for years after the initial trigger has resolved.
Diagnostic Process
- Compare New Images to Previous Scans: Radiologists track growth by examining changes over time. Cancerous growths often have irregular, spiky edges and grow, while benign lesions typically have smooth borders and stay the same size.
- Consider Biopsy for Diagnosis: A small tissue sample is taken using a thin needle through the chest wall or a bronchoscope threaded into the lungs. Advanced techniques like navigational bronchoscopy allow precise access to small, deep growths.
- Use PET Scans to Measure Metabolic Activity: Cancer cells consume more glucose than normal cells, making them appear bright on PET scans. This helps identify potential cancer activity. However, infections and inflammation can also appear active, leading to false positives. PET scans are most effective when combined with other diagnostic methods.
Treatment Options if Growth is Cancerous
Your oncology team will create a treatment plan based on multiple factors, including the cancer’s type, stage, location, and your overall health.
Surgery
The gold standard for early-stage lung cancer when the growth is confined to one area and the patient is healthy enough for the procedure.
Modern surgical techniques often involve tiny incisions with robotic assistance.
Surgeons can frequently preserve healthy lung tissue while completely removing the cancerous growth.
Radiation Therapy
Uses precisely targeted high-energy beams to destroy cancer cells while minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
For non-surgical candidates, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) delivers focused radiation, treating small tumours in just a few sessions.
Chemotherapy
Today’s chemotherapy regimens are more targeted and better tolerated than in the past.
These medications interfere with cancer cells’ ability to divide and grow, making them particularly effective for cancers that have spread beyond the original site.
Immunotherapy
A groundbreaking treatment that unleashes the immune system’s ability to recognise and attack cancer cells.
For some patients, immunotherapy offers long-lasting disease control with relatively mild side effects.
Targeted Therapy
Personalised treatment that identifies specific genetic mutations driving the cancer.
Medications are designed to block those exact pathways, offering remarkable effectiveness for cancers with certain genetic characteristics.
Prevention and Risk Reduction
The best way to prevent lung cancer is to avoid all tobacco. If you smoke, quitting at any age brings immediate and long-term benefits.
Within just 10 years of quitting, your lung cancer risk drops by roughly half compared to continuing smokers.
Additional Steps
- Test for Radon: Testing for radon should be as routine as checking your smoke detector. Radon is a serious health risk, and regular tests ensure your home is safe. Affordable, easy-to-use test kits make it simple to check for elevated levels. If high levels are found, mitigation systems can effectively reduce your exposure.
- Workplace Safety: If you’re exposed to lung carcinogens at work, take protective measures seriously. Use proper respiratory protection and follow safety protocols. Advocate for good ventilation to disperse harmful substances. Even small exposure adds up over time, so being proactive is key to protecting your health.
- Healthy Diet and Exercise: Eating antioxidant-rich foods like colourful fruits and vegetables can help protect your cells and support overall health. Regular physical activity strengthens your respiratory system and boosts your natural defences, keeping your body resilient and ready to fight off threats.
- Minimise Air Pollution Exposure: If you live in a polluted area, take simple steps to protect yourself. On high pollution days, keep windows closed to block harmful particles and use indoor air purifiers to reduce pollutants.
The Importance of Medical Evaluation
Early detection is key to managing lung growths and improving outcomes, as many are benign or treatable when caught early.
While online tools can provide general guidance, only a medical professional can accurately evaluate scans and health history.
If you’re at high risk for lung cancer, talk to your doctor about low-dose CT screening. Don’t delay care out of fear, and consider a second opinion for confidence in your treatment plan.
