Question

A nurse is reinforcing teaching regarding risk factors developing lung cancer. which of the following should the nurse include.(select all that apply).

1.asbestos exposure

2.cigarette smoking

3.use of smokeless(chewing) tabacco.

4.exposure to second and smoke

5.radon exposure

History of polyps

Answer 1

1 -asbestos exposure

Asbestos-related lung cancer is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. About 18% of lung cancer patients survive more than five years after diagnosis.

When a person inhales asbestos, microscopic fibers can become lodged in their lung tissue. Over many years, the fibers can cause enough genetic and cellular damage to cause lung cells to turn cancerous.

Asbestos-related lung cancer typically takes between 15 and 35 years to develop from initial exposure to onset of symptoms. Because of this long latency period, most cases diagnosed today were caused by occupational asbestos exposure that occurred decades ago when asbestos use was prevalent.

The most at-risk professions involve mining, construction, heavy industry, shipbuilding and firefighting. Veterans are also a high-risk group for asbestos-related lung cancer because of the military’s reliance on asbestos products.

Risk factors for asbestos lung cancer include:

• Duration and intensity of asbestos exposure
• Genetics
• Smoking history
• Overall health

Whether lung cancer is associated with asbestos exposure, smoking or another cause, it presents the same general symptoms:

• Persistent coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Chest discomfort or pain
• Hoarseness or wheezing
• Coughing up blood
• Fatigue and loss of appetite
• Swelling of the face or neck
• Chronic respiratory infections

Treatment include chemotherapy, radiation therapy , immunotherapy abd surgery

2- cigarette smoking

People who smoke have the greatest risk of lung cancer, though lung cancer can also occur in people who have never smoked. The risk of lung cancer increases with the length of time and number of cigarettes you've smoked. If you quit smoking, even after smoking for many years, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing lung cancer.

Symptoms

Lung cancer typically doesn't cause signs and symptoms in its earliest stages. Signs and symptoms of lung cancer typically occur when the disease is advanced.

Signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include:

• A new cough that doesn't go away
• Coughing up blood, even a small amount
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Hoarseness
• Losing weight without trying
• Bone pain
• Headache

Doctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately.

At first your body may be able to repair this damage. But with each repeated exposure, normal cells that line your lungs are increasingly damaged. Over time, the damage causes cells to act abnormally and eventually cancer may develop.

Smoking. Your risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Quitting at any age can significantly lower your risk of developing lung cancer.

Prevention

Never smoke, quit smoking if u are having smoking habit, avoid secondhand smoking that is avoid place where people are smoking.

3. Smokeless tobacco

Smokeless tobacco products are known by many names, including: dip, chew, spit, oral and spitless tobacco, and dry and moist snuff (snus). Smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.

The facts about smokeless tobacco:

• It is just as addictive as cigarette smoking.
• One can of snuff contains the same amount of nicotine as 4 packs of cigarettes.
• Dipping 8 to 10 times a day introduces as much nicotine into the body as smoking 30-40 cigarettes.
• The amount of nicotine in the bloodstream after using smokeless tobacco may be higher than that of a cigarette smoker because nicotine is easily and quickly absorbed through the lining of the mouth.
• Nicotine stays in the bloodstream longer with smokeless tobacco than with cigarettes.

4- exposure to second and smoke

• Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25–30%.1
• Secondhand smoke increases the risk for stroke by 20−30%.4
• Secondhand smoke exposure causes more than 8,000 deaths from stroke annually.4

Breathing secondhand smoke can have immediate adverse effects on your blood and blood vessels, increasing the risk of having a heart attack.2,3,4

• Breathing secondhand smoke interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of having a heart attack.
• Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can damage the lining of blood vessels and cause your blood platelets to become stickier. These changes can cause a deadly heart attack.
• Infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are also at greater risk for SIDS.

People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk of suffering adverse effects from breathing secondhand smoke and should take special precautions to avoid even brief exposures.

Parents can help protect their children from secondhand smoke by taking the following actions:9

• Do not allow anyone to smoke anywhere in or near your home.
• Do not allow anyone to smoke in your car, even with the window down.
• Make sure your children’s day care centers and schools are tobacco-free.
• If your state still allows smoking in public areas, look for restaurants and other places that do not allow smoking. “No-smoking sections” do not protect you and your family from secondhand smoke.

5- random exposure

Random Exposure to certain hazardous chemicals poses a lung cancer risk. Working with materials such as asbestos, uranium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel and some petroleum products is especially dangerous. If you think you may be breathing in hazardous chemicals at your job, talk to your employer and your doctor to find out to protect yourself.

There is a strong evidence that exposure to industrial and manufacturing chemicals and harmful pesticides or aflatoxin can compose of cancer-trigger factors that present in our living and working environments. Agricultural and public health workers are mainly exposed to these hazardous pesticides during handling, dilution and application. Exposure is mainly by skin and by the respirable routes during application. Occupational pesticide usage is related to lung cancer in some cases but not all.

Reduce your risk: If you are exposed to dust and fumes at work, ask your health and safety advisor how you are being protected.

6 - History of polyps

Polys in lung are generally benign and non cancerous which requires no treatment in maximum case.

In very very rare case they may turn cancerous due to other predisposing factors.