World No Tobacco Day 2022: How to minimise the risk of lung cancer in former smokers

World No Tobacco Day 2022: Tobacco-related cancers have the highest mortality rate in India of all cancers. According to a report released in 2020 by the National Cancer Registry of India (NCRI), tobacco consumption is responsible for up to 27% of cancer incidences in the country. Tobacco is dangerous in all forms, and there is no such thing as a safe level of tobacco exposure. While cigarette smoking is the most common way of consuming tobacco in the world, other types of tobacco, such as smokeless tobacco, like dry snuff, plug/twist, loose-leaf chewing tobacco, and dissolvable products, are highly addictive and common in India. These products increase the incidence of cancers of the oral cavity, throat, esophagus, stomach, lungs and urinary system. 

Many current and former smokers are curious about their lung cancer risk in terms of numbers. Some people, for example, desire to know things like, "I have a 10% risk of getting the disease." Assigning a numerical value to risk is difficult and often challenging to comprehend; whereas one individual may consider 10% to be a high probability. It's critical to remember that statistics like these are based on large groups of people and is difficult to translate what that means for a single person. 

 

When it comes to ex-smokers and other types of cancers, they have gotten significantly less attention in terms of study. If a person has been smoking or consuming tobacco regularly for the past 5–10 years and has stopped smoking, then, unfortunately, quitting tobacco will not be able to undo all of the harm caused by earlier smoking. So, one should always be open and honest with their healthcare providers about their smoking history and be aware of the dangers that it entails. 

Knowing the symptoms of lung cancer can be the difference between identifying your condition early or after it has spread. Despite this, the majority of people are unaware of the most prevalent symptoms and as a result, 90% of cases in India are recognized at late stages and are seldom cured of their disease. Part of this is due to the fact that lung cancer symptoms are vague.

 

Lung cancers usually cause the patient to cough out blood, an alarming symptom, which makes most people seek medical attention. The most frequent type of lung cancer today however is lung adenocarcinoma. These tumours tend to form in the outer parts of the lung. Such patients have mild cough, occasional breathing difficulties which may be dismissed as common cold. Always seek doctors’ opinion when cough continues for more than a week, despite adequate treatment with medicines. 

Lung cancer treatment is most effective when it is detected early. When nonsmokers and former smokers (those who quit years ago) develop lung cancer, it catches both healthcare providers and the patient by surprise, as lung cancer may not be on their radar when screening. We are seeing an increasing incidence of lung cancer in never smokers as well. Many developed countries like Japan, U.S., and Korea have nationwide screening programs for lung cancer. 

 

Screening means testing of normal individuals for a disease even when there are no symptoms of that disease. Doctors advise getting a screening test to detect the condition early on, which is when therapy is more effective. 

 

For lung cancer, a low-dose computed tomography is the recommended lung cancer screening test (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT). 

• Smoked for 20 years or more

• Age groups between 30 and 60 years old 

• People who have quit within the last 10-15 years

 

Surgery offers the most effective cure rate for early-stage lung cancer. However, surgical removal of the lung is a complex operation, both for the surgeon as well as the patient. Traditional surgery using large cuts on the chest is very painful and difficult to endure for most frail patients. A minimally invasive approach like Robotic-Assisted Surgery (RAS) using the da Vinci system is considered safer than the traditional techniques leading to improved clinical outcomes.

 

RAS is performed with small incisions and minimal blood loss, making the surgery and recovery process easier for patients. RAS also helps thoracic (lung) surgeons perform such an intense procedure with relative ease because of the system's 3D visualisation capability and dexterity. The procedures also have post-surgery benefits such as shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, faster recoveries, fewer hospital readmissions, and leaving the patient with minimal or no scars.

 

Tobacco consumption kills roughly one million Indians each year. Despite adequate information available regarding the harms of tobacco consumption, youngsters are still picking up the habit. The most important message to individuals is to stop consuming tobacco in any form before it is too late.