In China, the incidence rate and mortality of lung cancer are among the best among malignant tumors. June 15th every year is "World Breathing Day".
Professor Han Baohui, Executive Chairman of China Lung Cancer Institute and Honorary Director of the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the Chest Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, said in an interview on the 14th that, in addition to smoking, chronic Respiratory disease is also a risk factor for lung cancer, and it is different in different genders and different pathological types of lung cancer.
It is reported that lung cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the bronchial mucosal epithelium and alveoli of the lungs. Lung cancer is often considered highly correlated with smoking. Han Baohui pointed out that in the past, Respiratory disease and genetic factors were also high-risk factors for lung cancer. "Respiratory disease such as pneumoconiosis, tuberculosis, bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increased the risk of lung cancer, but also affected the life cycle of lung cancer patients."
Han Baohui explained using pneumoconiosis as an example that patients with pneumoconiosis may experience irreversible changes in their lungs due to fibrosis of particles or blocks, leading to a gradual loss of lung function. Studies have shown that the risk of lung cancer incidence rate of pneumoconiosis patients is 1.32 to 10.34 times higher than that of normal people, and the age of incidence rate of lung cancer is 10 to 15 years earlier than that of normal people.
Lung cancer is divided into non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Among them, small cell lung cancer is one of the most malignant tumors. Due to its rapid progression and easy recurrence, the 5-year survival rate of patients is low in the absence of effective treatment methods after metastasis, recurrence, or drug resistance. Professor Han Baohui stated that when small cell lung cancer is discovered, it is often in the middle to late stage. Although small cell lung cancer is difficult to identify and detect in the early stages, there may be extrapulmonary reactions, such as hyponatremia, Cushing's syndrome, antibody related myositis, encephalitis, etc. Once extrapulmonary manifestations caused by small cell lung cancer occur, it is necessary to seek medical attention as soon as possible, identify them as soon as possible, and maximize the patient's prognosis, "he said.
When it comes to early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, Han Baohui pointed out that over 90% of lung cancer patients who can undergo surgery are in the early or very early stages; Early diagnosis and treatment indeed enable more patients to achieve the goal of radical treatment or cure. He advocates for conducting fluorescent bronchoscopy screening in high-risk populations in order to detect early lesions. It is reported that during the screening process, Han Baohui's team also added liquid biopsy to search for biomarkers of early lung cancer by drawing a tube of blood. Han Baohui told reporters that the sensitivity and specificity of screening have been significantly improved by using liquid biopsy combined with low-dose spiral CT. In addition to Shanghai, the screening conducted by Han Baohui's team has already covered provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan, and Jiangxi. "In March of this year, we just concluded the project of screening ten thousand high-risk individuals in the Tai'an community in Shandong." He revealed that "in the future, on this basis, more patients and high-risk groups can be benefited, so that more early lung cancer can be diagnosed and the goal of curing lung cancer can be achieved
With the further deepening and improvement of tumor immunology and molecular biology research, the treatment of lung cancer has entered a new stage of immunotherapy. Han Baohui pointed out that based on current research and clinical experience, once diagnosed with lung cancer, whether using immunotherapy alone or combined chemotherapy without autoimmune related diseases, the earlier immunotherapy is used, the greater the benefits for patients. In the past two years, the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy has been introduced, significantly improving the quality of life of patients. The survival cycle has entered the era of immunotherapy calculated in years, becoming a major breakthrough in the field of small cell lung cancer diagnosis and treatment in the past 40 years
Han Baohui expressed his belief that in the future, with the further development of innovative therapies such as immunotherapy and the promotion of standardized diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, more small cell lung cancer patients will benefit from advanced innovative therapies, and their overall survival period and quality of life will also be further improved, achieving true long-term survival.
