Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about lung cancer and you can find written notes on this topic at zero to

finals.com slash lung cancer or in the respiratory section of the zero to finals medicine book.

So let's get straight into it.

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK behind breast and prostate cancer.

Smoking is a significant cause and around 80% of lung cancers are thought to be preventable

by avoiding smoking.

Let's talk about the histology. The histological types of lung cancer can broadly be divided

into small cell lung cancer, which is about 20%, and non-small cell lung cancer, which represents about 80%.

Non-small cell lung cancer can further be divided into adenocarsanoma, which is about 40% of

total lung cancers, squamous cell carcinoma, which is about 20%, large cell carcinoma, which is around 10%,

and other types which make up the remaining 10%.

Small cell lung cancer cells contain neurosecretary granules that release neuroendocrine hormones.

Small cell lung cancer may be responsible for various paraneoplastic syndromes, which we're going to talk about in more detail later on.

Mesothelioma is a lung malignancy affecting the mesothelial cells of the plora or the lining of the lungs.

Mesothelioma is strongly linked to asbestos inhalation. There's a substantial latent period

or a gap between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma, which can be up to 45 years.

The prognosis of mesotheloma is very poor.

Chemotherapy can improve survival, but the condition is essentially palliative.

Let's talk about the presentation of lung cancer.

The presenting features include shortness of breath,

cough, hemoptosis, which is coughing up blood, finger clubbing, recurrent pneumonias or chest

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