Lung cancer is when abnormal cells divide in an uncontrolled way to form a tumour in the lung.The main symptoms are a cough, breathlessness and weight loss. The treatment you need depends on what type you have as well as your general health. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Your lungs have a system of tubes that carry oxygen in and out as you breathe.
The windpipe divides into two tubes, the right bronchus and left bronchus. These split into smaller tubes called secondary bronchi. They split again to make smaller tubes called bronchioles. The bronchioles have small air sacs at the end called alveoli.
In the air sacs, oxygen passes into your bloodstream from the air breathed in. Your bloodstream carries oxygen to all the cells in your body. At the same time carbon dioxide passes from your bloodstream into the air sacs. This waste gas is removed from the body as you breathe out.
Lung cancer can start in any part of the lungs or airways. These are part of the breathing system, which is also called the respiratory system. The breathing system includes:
the nose and mouth windpipe (trachea) airways to each lung (left and right bronchus) lungs