What causes small cell lung cancer

What causes small cell lung cancer? Most people don't know much about how small cell lung cancer is caused, but the incidence of this disease is constantly increasing, so we must pay attention to it in our daily lives. So, let's learn about the causes of small cell lung cancer!

The disease is related to the following factors:

1) Smoking: It is generally recognized that smoking is an important risk factor for small cell lung cancer. The more you smoke, the longer you smoke, and the earlier you start smoking, the higher the mortality rate of small cell lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer in smokers gradually decreases as the number of years of quitting smoking increases, and it takes 15 years of quitting smoking to be close to that of non-smokers. Passive smoking can also easily cause lung cancer.

2) Occupational carcinogens: Confirmed occupational carcinogens that cause human small cell lung cancer include asbestos, inorganic arsenic compounds, dichloromethyl ether, chromium and certain compounds, nickel smelting, radon and radon progeny, mustard, vinyl chloride, soot, tar and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum, heating products of tobacco, etc.

3) Air pollution: Air pollution includes indoor micro-environment and outdoor macro-environment pollution. For example, passive smoking, fuel combustion and carcinogens produced during cooking. Car exhaust, industrial waste gas and road asphalt in cities all contain carcinogens, the main of which is benzopyrene.

4) Ionizing radiation: Large doses of ionizing radiation can cause small cell lung cancer. Different rays of radiation produce different effects. For example, Hiroshima in Japan released neutrons and gravitational rays, while Nagasaki only released gravitational rays. The former has a higher risk of lung cancer than the latter.

5) Diet and nutrition: Animal experiments have shown that vitamin A and its derivative beta-carotene can inhibit tumors induced by chemical carcinogens.

6) Others: Viral infection, fungal toxins (Aspergillus flavus), tuberculosis scars, low immune function, endocrine disorders and family inheritance may also play a certain combined role in the occurrence of lung cancer.

Because patients with small cell lung cancer will have tumor metastasis to different parts of the body, it will also cause some symptoms. Family members must pay attention to observation and provide good care. For example, patients with bone metastasis often metastasize to the abdomen, which often occurs in the intestinal obstruction. At this time, pay attention to observe whether there are symptoms of abdominal distension and abdominal pain, and seek medical attention in time.