Risk Of Lung Cancer example essay topic

Case Study #1 John, a 72-year-old grandfather, had been smoking heavily for 24 years and had a persistant cough. A biopsy of his lung tissue revealed considerable amounts of carbon particles. How could this happen considering the natural cleaning mechanism of the respiratory system? Several factors influence the effects of inhaled particles... Size and heaviness are important because large and heavy particles settle more rapidly.

Chemical composition is important because some substances, when in particle form, can destroy the cilia that the lungs use for the removal of particles. Cigarette smoking may alter the ability of the lungs to clear themselves. Characteristics of the person inhaling particles can also influence the effects of dust. The settling of dust in the lungs increases with the length of time the breath is held and how deeply the breath is taken. The tars and gases in cigarette smoke progressively damage the lung tissue. Cigarette smoke produces more mucus in the lungs but anesthetizes the tiny hairs, or cilia, that line the airways and are supposed to sweep the mucus and foreign matter toward the throat.

(But as smokers sleep, the cilia partly recover and move some accumulated mucus and impurities out of the lungs to produce the morning smoker's hacking cough.) Cigarette smoke impairs the functions of the pulmonary enzyme system and the lymphocytes designed to keep the lungs clean. The tars in cigarette smoke are solid chemical particles that condense as sticky resins in the lungs. Tar contains about 4,000 chemicals, a number of which are known to cause cancer. After years of heavy smoking, the lung's cilia are destroyed, allowing mucus to accumulate and frequently become infected with colds, respiratory infections, and chronic bronchitis. Impaired lung function may lead to emphysema, an irreversible condition reducing lung elasticity and destroying air sacs that take in oxygen. Normally, 5 percent of an adult's energy is expended for breathing; people with emphysema use 80 percent.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF QUITTING According to the American Cancer Society, many of smoking's adverse effects are reversed when smokers quit. "h Immediately: Bronchitis and emphysema improve as breathing eases and lung function deterioration decelerates. "h After 1 year: Risk of heart disease drops significantly. "h After 7 years: Risk of bladder cancer drops to the same level as for nonsmokers. "h After 10 years: Risk of heart disease is the same as nonsmokers. "h After 10 to 15 years: Risk of shortened life expectancy, as well as risk of lung cancer, larynx cancer, and mouth cancer, approaches that of people who have never smoked.