How The Lungs Are Responsible For Both Ventilation And...

Laura Haywood Anatomy and Physiology Period 2 Mrs. Ritter October 19, 2014 The lungs are responsible for both ventilation and respiration. Ventilation is the mechanical act of bringing breath into the body and expelling it. Respiration is the detailed work of lung tissue, using the air brought into the body, making it available to the body through the highly vascular lung parenchyma. Lung cancer impacts both of these functions. To understand the disease, it is important to understand the causes of lung cancer, the types of lung cancer, lung cancer disease â€Å"staging† or progression, the effect of lung cancer on the body and treatment. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Cancer develops†¦show more content†¦There are several types of lung cancer. The type of cancer is named according to the type of cells found in the tumor. Adenocarcinoma is the most common form of lung cancer. Masses with this type of cell are generally slow growing. Squamous or epidermoid carcinoma is the most common cell type found in the bronchial airways. Large cell carcinoma is the third type of non-small cell carcinoma that is not of the other two types. Finally, lung cancer can be classified as small cell carcinoma. Small cell carcinoma is responsible for approximately 15% of all lung cancers and is fast growing, spreads faster than other types of lung cancer and is commonly related to cigarette smoking. When a diagnosis of cancer is made, the stage or progression of the cancer is assessed. Stages of non-small cell lung cancer can range from stage I to stage IV. Stage I is local cancer in the lungs without spread to other areas of the body. Stage II is when the cancer is in the lung and lymph nodes closest to the lungs. Stage III is when the cancer is in the lungs and lymph nodes in the middle of the chest. This is considered minimally advanced lung cancer. Stage III had two subtypes. Stage IIIa is when the cancer has been found only in the lymph nodes on the same side of the chest as the tumor. Stage IIIb is when the cancer has spread to the nodes on the opposite