In recent years, lung cancer has become the most threatening malignant tumor to human health and life, with high and rising morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Because there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage of lung cancer, the vast majority of lung cancer patients are diagnosed at the middle or advanced stage. Clinically, once diagnosed with lung cancer, many patients and their families fall into endless panic, and many questions are eager to be answered.
Today, we have invited Professor Yang Nong, a renowned domestic expert in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment and a specially-appointed expert at Hainan Cancer Hospital, to provide professional interpretations on some common questions that lung cancer patients are concerned about.
Questions and Answers
Qustions & Answers
Q1: Why does lung cancer become one of the most common types of all cancers?
Professor Yang Nong: The lungs are our internal organs that have close contact with the atmosphere, and the entire alveolar area is approximately 70-100 square meters. Such a large area, once damaged by physical and chemical factors in the environment, will continue to go through the process of damage repair, re-damage, and re-repair. During this process, errors occur in the DNA, and they accumulate more and more, eventually turning normal cells into cancer cells. So lung cancer is relatively prevalent because everyone cant avoid breathing, and we can breathe tens of thousands of liters in a day and night. The lungs are in such a special position in the human body that the probability of exposure to various physical and chemical damages increases significantly, and thus the risk of developing cancer is also higher.
Q2: What is the highest incidence rate of lung cancer after a lung nodule is detected?
Professor Yang Nong: Clinical data show that the total number of patients with small pulmonary nodules in China has reached 120 million, but the peak number of new lung cancer cases each year is only about 1.06 million, with an incidence rate of less than 1 percent. This means that the vast majority of pulmonary nodules are benign, so there is no need to panic or rush to decide to remove them.
It is worth noting that even among the most advanced medical institutions, the proportion of cases where a tumor is diagnosed as malignant before surgery but confirmed as benign by postoperative pathology still fluctuates between 10% and 20%. Therefore, the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules must be carried out with a rigorous and prudent attitude, and personalized treatment plans should be developed through scientific assessment.
Q3: Under what circumstances do lung cancer patients need to discontinue their targeted drug treatment? Why?
Professor Yang Nong: In the field of lung cancer targeted therapy, drug resistance is a common problem that cannot be avoided, and only a very small number of special cases can achieve lifelong disease control with a single targeted drug. The root cause of drug resistance lies in the long-term use of the same targeted drug, which exerts persistent selective pressure on cancer cells. Under this pressure, cancer cells keep mutating and gradually form new subgroups with drug-resistant characteristics - drug-resistant strains.
When this persistent drug stress is stopped, the cancer cells that were originally sensitive to the drug gradually regain their activity and compete to suppress the resistant cancer cells, thereby slowing their growth. At this point, if the patient is in good physical condition and has a strong immune system, immune cells may actively attack and kill cancer cells; Or the body enters a long "peaceful coexistence" phase with cancer cells, where cancer cells cease to develop and normal cells are not invaded by cancer cells. Of course, there is also a risk of slow progression of cancer cells after drug withdrawal, which requires us to monitor closely through specific means. As long as we can keep track of the progression of cancer cells in a timely manner, we can maintain the state of drug withdrawal; Once signs of cancer cell growth are detected, targeted drug treatment should be resumed immediately.
Q4: What criteria do lung cancer patients meet to apply for drug leave?
Professor Yang Nong: A drug leave is a treatment strategy that temporarily suspends the use of anti-cancer drugs after a comprehensive assessment by a multidisciplinary team of experts during targeted or immunotherapy for lung cancer. This plan has strict applicable criteria: First, the patients previous treatment needs to achieve significant efficacy, that is, it is confirmed through imaging that the tumor lesion continues to shrink or is in a stable control state; Second, the effect of local treatment is a key consideration. For example, if a patient with advanced lung cancer has completed radical resection of the residual lesion, radical radiotherapy, or if the metastatic lesion has been effectively controlled through systematic treatment and has achieved phased results under the multidisciplinary integrated treatment model, it is possible to enter the "drug vacation" stage after careful evaluation by the doctor.
Expert introduction
Consultation Information
[Consultation Time] June 21th, morning, Sixth Consultation Area, Hainan Cancer Hospital
[Appointment Registration] Follow Hainan Cancer Hospitals official WeChat account for “appointment registration”
[Health Consultation] 13876807106
Friendly Reminder
To help the expert understand your condition quickly, please bring the following:
1. ID card, medical insurance card, and mobile phone
2. Accompanying direct relatives (with decision-making authority)
3. Relevant previous examination results, organized chronologically
4. Paper medical records from previous consultations
5. Surgical case slides, wax blocks, or 20-30 glass slides
6. Pathological diagnosis report
7. Hospitalization medical records
8. Recent relevant examination results
9. The patients current treatment plan
10. The most urgent questions to consult