Is lung cancer contagious?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Le Thien Quang - Internal Oncologist - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

Lung cancer is a dangerous disease common in people who smoke or who are constantly exposed to toxic environments. Many people wonder if lung cancer is contagious? Is lung cancer hereditary?

1. How many stages are there in lung cancer?

For small cell lung cancer, lung cancer is divided into 2 stages Limited stage: Cancer cells are located in only 1 lung and some surrounding tissue. Expansion stage : Cancer cells spread to both lungs and surrounding organs such as pleura, chest cavity outside the lungs... For non-small cell lung cancer, lung cancer is divided into 6 Covered stage: At this stage, the tumor has not grown in the lung and can only be detected in sputum or water samples through endoscopy. Stage 0: Lung cancer cells are located in the innermost layer of the lung lining. Stage I: Lung cancer cells are found in the lung, but have not spread outside Stage II: Cancer cells from the lung have spread to organs around the lung Stage III: The Cancer cells spread faster and more widely, specifically to the chest between the lungs and heart Stage IV: Cancer cells have spread to the remaining lung and other parts of the body. At this stage, it is no longer possible to remove the cancer cells with surgery.

2. Is lung cancer contagious?

Is lung cancer contagious is a question of many people, especially when someone in the family has lung cancer. When seeing people with lung cancer constantly coughing, coughing violently, many people fear that they may be infected through breathing or daily activities. However, cancer in general and lung cancer in particular is a disease caused by mutated cells, not caused by viruses or bacteria, so the disease is not contagious.
Thus, lung cancer is not spread from person to person. People with lung cancer are not a source of infection, and are not capable of spreading the disease to the surrounding environment. The main cause of lung cancer is smoking a lot, living in a toxic polluted environment. All information that lung cancer can be transmitted is unfounded.

3. Is lung cancer hereditary?

Lung cancer is not contagious, but it can be inherited. People with a close family member with lung cancer are more likely to develop the disease than the general population. That's why relatives of patients with lung cancer are often advised to have routine cancer screening tests.
Genetic mutations in the body that cause lung cancer can run in families. In many cases in previous generations these cells did not develop into cancer cells, but in later generations there were many other physical agents that made these cells become harmful, forming the cause of lung cancer. .
Also, lung cancer can be caused by smoking or living in a toxic environment. If you live in the same family, live and work in the same place, are exposed to the same harmful chemicals, breathe in cigarette smoke from the surrounding environment, you are also likely to get lung cancer.
To prevent lung cancer, besides building a healthy lifestyle, staying away from cigarette smoke, protecting the respiratory tract from dust pollution, etc., lung cancer screening is also very important. , help us detect the earliest signs of lung cancer (if any) for timely treatment.
Currently Vinmec International General Hospital is implementing a Lung Cancer Screening Package, with many advantages:
A team of highly qualified and experienced doctors. Comprehensive professional cooperation with domestic and international hospitals: Singapore, Japan, USA, .. Comprehensive treatment and care, multi-specialty coordination towards individualizing each patient. Having a full range of specialized facilities for diagnosis and staging before treatment: Endoscopy, CT scan, PET-CT scan, MRI, histopathological diagnosis, gene-cell testing, .. There are a full range of mainstream cancer treatment methods: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, stem cell transplant...

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