Understanding Lung Cancer
- PGA Tour winner Steve Pate has taken time off from work to battle a type of lung cancer called squamous cell carcinoma—a disease he was diagnosed with after struggling with troublesome cough during about three months ago.
- It’s unclear what state lung cancer Pate is battling, but it’s important to understand that lung cancer is commonly already in stage 4 when it is first diagnosed because its symptoms are hard to detect in the early stages of the disease. A persistent cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath are common but not easily distinguishable from more benign conditions.
- Treating lung cancer depends on the cancer’s location and how advanced it is. Surgery may be ideal for early-stage lung cancer because it’s localized to the lung.
More advanced lung cancer has spread beyond the lungs, and chemotherapy and immunotherapy (which uses the immune system to fight cancer cells) may be more optimal. - Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik says supporters of cancer patients should prepare themselves for a wide range of emotions a cancer diagnosis can spawn. “People can have a range of emotions – they can include fear, anger – and these emotions tend to be fluid.”
The 64-year-old dad of two, who has been nicknamed “Volcano,” was diagnosed with lung cancer after attending the PGA TOUR Champions’ James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida.
Read MorePate continued, “The love and support from my friends and entire family, especially my grandchildren, inspire me to enjoy every moment and remain optimistic.”
Fans have also offered support with their kind words on social media, with one writing, “Get well soon praying for you Steve Pate. You can beat this. Stay strong. Prayers for the family.”
Another wrote, “Fight like you need a birdie on eighteen to win. l know you will win!!!”
Others said, “Praying for a full recovery,” “Praying for you Steve. You can beat this. Stay tough,” and “Get well soon.”
It’s unclear what stage cancer the pro golfer is battling, but we do know he’s being treated for the disease at UCLA Medical Center.
He reportedly started undergoing chemotherapy on June 13.
Due to his cancer treatment, Pate needed to withdraw from the Regions Tradition and Senior PGA Championship in May.
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According to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, otherwise known as epidermoid carcinoma, is a cancer that develops from the squamous cells.
The foundation explains, “These [squamous cells] are thin, flat cells that line the airways, much like the lining of a pipe. They provide a barrier between the air in the lungs and the lungs themselves. Squamous cell lung cancer develops when these cells become damaged, or abnormal, and begin to multiply. The majority of cases of squamous cell carcinoma start in the center of the lung compared to other parts of the respiratory system.
“Squamous cell lung cancer is a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), along with adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinomas make up 25 – 30% of all lung cancers, and are the most common lung cancers found in smokers. Conversely, it is very uncommon to find squamous cell carcinomas in non-smokers.”
Understanding Lung Cancer
Lung cancer forms when cancer cells develop in the tissues of the lung. It is the second most common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the U.S., SurvivorNet experts say. It’s “completely asymptomatic,” thoracic surgeon-in-chief at Temple University Health System Dr. Joseph Friedberg, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
“It causes no issues until it has spread somewhere. So, if it spreads to the bones, it may cause pain. If it spreads to the brain, it may cause something not subtle, like a seizure,” Dr. Friedberg adds.
WATCH: Detecting lung cancer in the absence of symptoms.
Scans such as X-rays can help doctors determine if a shadow appears, which can prompt further testing for lung cancer.
Lung cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms until it has already spread outside the lungs, according to SurvivorNet’s experts.
There are two main types of lung cancer, which doctors group together based on how they act and how they’re treated:
- Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type and makes up about 85% of cases.
- Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is less common, but it tends to grow faster than NSCLC and is treated very differently.
Metastatic cancer means that the disease has spread to distant parts of the body. We understand this diagnosis can be really intimidating, but treatment options are ever-evolving.
Expert Lung Cancer Resources
- 10 Public Figures Whose Lung Cancer Diagnosis Helped Get the Disease Much-Needed Attention
- Coffee & Lung Cancer? A New Respectable Study Finds Some Association, Don’t Stop the Starbucks Just Yet
- Checkpoint Inhibitors Before Surgery Could Improve The Odds For Lung Cancer Patients
- Combining Immunotherapy Drugs in Lung Cancer
- Could Excess Antioxidants Help Lung Cancer Spread?
- Diagnosing Lung Cancer and Determining Treatment
- Comprehensive Biomarker Testing for Lung Cancer: Who Needs It & What’s It For?
- Does Smoking Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer?
- Enhertu: A Targeted Treatment Provides Hope For Difficult-To-Treat Lung Cancer
- Former & Current Heavy Smokers Should Get Lung Cancer Screenings Using CT Scan, Says Leading Expert
- Genetic Testing Can Help Determine Your Lung Cancer Treatment
Some people with lung cancer may experience symptoms such as:
- A cough that doesn’t go away, that gets worse, or that brings up bloody phlegm
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Hoarse voice
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
If you are experiencing these kinds of symptoms consistently, contact your doctor for further tests.
RELATED: More People are Surviving Lung Cancer Than Ever: One Survivor Shares His Story
Power of Support
A cancer diagnosis can be extremely stressful. One way SurvivorNet experts encourage cancer patients to alleviate some of that stress by leaning on their support system.
A support system can be made up of loved ones like family and friends. It can also be comprised of strangers who have come together because of a shared cancer experience. Mental health professionals can also be critical parts of a support system.
WATCH: Sharing details about your cancer diagnosis.
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friend’s circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik told SurvivorNet.
“But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional,” Dr. Plutchik added.
Dr. Plutchik also stressed it is important for people supporting cancer warriors to understand their emotions can vary day-to-day.
“People can have a range of emotions…they can include fear, anger…and these emotions tend to be fluid. They can recede and return based on where someone is in the process,” Dr. Plutchik said.
Smoking and Lung Cancer Risk
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Nonsmokers still get lung cancer, but cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for the disease. Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of more than 7,000 different chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
The CDC says cigarette smoking is linked to about 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, and people who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who don’t smoke. Additionally, second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer.
Former & Current Heavy Smokers Should Get Lung Cancer Screenings Using CT Scan, Says Leading Expert
Smoking is, of course, the primary cause of lung cancer, but nonsmokers can and do develop this disease.
Researchers have made progress in understanding the differences between lung cancer in smokers versus nonsmokers, says Dr. Ronald Natale, a medical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and they’re developing targeted treatments that will be able to address the genetic drivers of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
“Among patients who are nonsmokers, or former very light smokers, we identify a mutation that we can target with pills in about 60% to 70% of them. That leaves 30% or so, 40%, in whom we either have a target for which we do not have successful treatment,” Dr. Ronald Natale, a medical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.
“Among patients who are smokers, who have more complex cancers that have hundreds, sometimes thousands of mutations, don’t have a driver mutation that we can give a pill for, which is only a tiny percentage of lifelong smokers. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment in most patients,” Dr. Natale explains further.
Lung Cancer Treatment Options
After a lung cancer diagnosis, you will need to discuss a few things with your doctor, such as the stage of the disease, your treatment options, and how long you have to consider these options, say our experts. Take your time in making a decision, and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.
Understanding the treatment options for lung cancer
Treatment varies depending on which type and stage of cancer you have. If the cancer is local — meaning just in the lungs — surgery may be an option. But if it has spread to the lymph nodes, a combination of radiation with chemotherapy, followed by immunotherapy, may be the best option. Once the cancer has spread outside of the lungs, chemotherapy and/or targeted drugs are used to control its growth as much as possible.
Navigating Clinical Trials
Clinical trials can be an option for people with cancer at many points during the treatment process. Your doctor may have spoken with you about possibly enrolling in a trial if you have advanced disease or if there’s a drug that’s currently considered investigational that may work better than the standard for you.
A lot of patients may feel uncomfortable about the thought of participating in a trial, but the trials can provide amazing opportunities for patients. For one thing, they give patients access to a bevy of new drugs that are currently being developed by pharmaceutical companies.
Things to Consider
In the U.S., all new drugs have to go through clinical trials before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will approve them. In addition to being potentially live-saving for patients, these trials are also necessary to advance science and cancer treatments.
However, participating in a trial comes with risks as well, and it’s important to talk to your doctor about this before getting involved in one. Some risks to consider are:
- The risk of harm and/or side effects due to experimental treatments
- Researchers may be unaware of some potential side effects for experimental treatments
- The treatment may not work for you, even if it has worked for others
Still, joining a clinical trial comes with benefits as well. You will be given access to treatments that could be life-saving, but simply haven’t made it through the approval process yet.
If you’re looking for a clinical trial, SurvivorNet can help. Check out SurvivorNet’s Clinical Trial Finder.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you find yourself diagnosed with lung cancer and are concerned about the long-term impacts, here are some questions you can ask your doctor.
- Has my cancer spread to other parts of the body?
- Based on my cancer stage, what are my treatment options?
- What are the side effects of my recommended treatment?
- Are there ways to help minimize the effects of treatment?
- How long will I be unable to work or carry out my daily activities?
- What financial resources are available to get the treatments I need?
Thoracic oncologist Dr. Leena Gandhi talks you through what to expect during a lung cancer diagnosis
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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