Breathless
Hello! For the first action project in this term's STEAM class - Disease - we were instructed to choose a disease to research. Each of us studied a patient who has a disease of interest. So far, in this term, we have learned about all of the body systems, diseases, and symptoms. We have learned about a variety of diseases that can be contracted from specific things like genetics or environmental factors. In this action project, I will be talking about a patient who has stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. We will call the patient Mrs. Henn. I will be explaining her process of diagnosis and how she is coping with this condition in her everyday life. In addition, I will be talking about the cancer itself - the anatomy, physiology, etiology, and epidemiology. It is very important to note that Mrs. Henn is still, actively battling this disease. I hope you enjoy!
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| Illustrated by “SN” |
Meet Mrs. Henn, she has been diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. It is a very aggressive and unforgiving cancer. Unfortunately, Mrs. Henn’s lung cancer has metastasized to the brain. Metastasis is when a cancer spreads to other sites of the body. The official name of her disease is non-small cell lung cancer, and is currently being treated with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a drug used to treat cancer with powerful chemicals, killing fast-growing cells in your body. This treatment makes her very weak. Many different chemotherapy drugs are available and can be used alone or in combination to treat cancer. Although chemotherapy is an effective way to treat cancer, it carries the risk of uncomfortable side effects - nausea and weakness being the main ones. Some chemotherapy side effects are mild, while others are more aggressive and can produce serious complications.
Three symptoms Mrs. Henn experiences due to her lung cancer are shortness of breath, back and shoulder pain, and excessive coughing. These symptoms greatly affect her everyday life. She has a big house, a husband, and 2 young children who require lots of attention and energy. Working and doing normal activities around the house are very challenging for her now. She takes steroids which make her anxious and keep her awake at night. In turn, lack of sleep makes her tired and weak. In addition, she can’t be around anyone who is sick with a cold or flu because chemotherapy weakens the immune system. To prevent getting sick, she has to wear a mask whenever she goes to places with a large number of people. She attends her boys’ basketball games with a medical mask and sits separately from everyone else. She needs assistance getting to and from the car. She wasn’t able to walk her dogs last summer, so she had to get a dog walker to take care of them.
Mrs. Henn was diagnosed with this cancer one year ago. She has had three surgeries so far, received immunotherapy, and has undergone several different chemotherapies. Immunotherapy is a biological type of treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer. Mrs. Henn responded to this treatment well, but her cancer is far too aggressive. Although these treatments have helped to prolong her life, none of them have cured her of the disease. Mrs. Henn is now in an experimental medical trial. It is unknown if it is working yet. If it doesn’t work, her participation will help future cancer patients.
I interviewed Ms. Henn’s friend and neighbor about her conditions and storyline with this cancer. She said, “Mrs. Henn discovered she had cancer when she was first struggling with terrible shoulder and back pain, and was taking pain medicine for it. Then, one night at a school fundraiser, she had a terrible reaction to the medicine after having a cocktail. Her husband brought her to the Emergency Room and, after several hours of tests, they found a mass in her lung. Later, they found the cancer had metastasized to her brain. They concluded that it was non-small cell lung cancer.”
There are 2 main types of lung cancer. 80% to 85% of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 10% to 15% are small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In the United States, the estimated number of lung cancer cases for 2016 was 117,920 for men and 106,470 for women. The age of patients at time of diagnosis varies, but the median age is approximately 70 years. Less than 1% of all lung cancers occur in patients under age 40. The overall 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is 17%.
How this cancer works is it is first found in the lung, nearby lymph nodes, and lymph nodes in the middle of the chest, in that order. It is found inside lymph nodes that are located on the same side of the chest where it first begins to grow. Then, it spreads to the lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest, or above the collarbone. It, finally, spreads to both lungs and into the area around them, or to other organs that are within its reach. It deeply affects how the lungs provide oxygen to the body via the blood. 90% of lung cancer originates from smoking because ingredients in cigarettes contain a cancer causing agent called a carcinogen. However, not all people who get lung cancer are smokers. Lung cancer in non-smokers can be caused by exposure to radon, secondhand smoke, air pollution, or workplace exposures to asbestos, diesel exhaust or certain other chemicals. There are many tests used to diagnose a patient with lung cancer. These tests include sputum cytology (a sample of mucus you cough up from the lungs), chest x-ray, MRI, CT scan, thoracentesis (testing the build up of fluid around the lungs), needle biopsy (doctor uses a syringe with a thin, hollow needle to withdraw cells and tissue samples), and bronchoscopy (a lighted, fiber-optic tube is passed through the mouth or nose and down into bronchi).
Overall, lung cancer of any type is very serious for those who are diagnosed with it. Lung cancer starts when lung cells become abnormal and grow out of control. As those cells develop, they form into a tumor and spread to other parts of the body. With treatment, only a small percentage of people survive. For other people, the cancer may never go away and life will become difficult and stressful. It is important to stay as healthy as possible during and after lung cancer treatment in order to yield the best outcome. Living life after lung cancer will be different, new, and challenging.
Citations
“Information and Resources about for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate, Skin.” American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org/.
“Tests for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.” American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org/cancer/non-small-cell-lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/how-diagnosed.html.
Three symptoms Mrs. Henn experiences due to her lung cancer are shortness of breath, back and shoulder pain, and excessive coughing. These symptoms greatly affect her everyday life. She has a big house, a husband, and 2 young children who require lots of attention and energy. Working and doing normal activities around the house are very challenging for her now. She takes steroids which make her anxious and keep her awake at night. In turn, lack of sleep makes her tired and weak. In addition, she can’t be around anyone who is sick with a cold or flu because chemotherapy weakens the immune system. To prevent getting sick, she has to wear a mask whenever she goes to places with a large number of people. She attends her boys’ basketball games with a medical mask and sits separately from everyone else. She needs assistance getting to and from the car. She wasn’t able to walk her dogs last summer, so she had to get a dog walker to take care of them.
Mrs. Henn was diagnosed with this cancer one year ago. She has had three surgeries so far, received immunotherapy, and has undergone several different chemotherapies. Immunotherapy is a biological type of treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer. Mrs. Henn responded to this treatment well, but her cancer is far too aggressive. Although these treatments have helped to prolong her life, none of them have cured her of the disease. Mrs. Henn is now in an experimental medical trial. It is unknown if it is working yet. If it doesn’t work, her participation will help future cancer patients.
I interviewed Ms. Henn’s friend and neighbor about her conditions and storyline with this cancer. She said, “Mrs. Henn discovered she had cancer when she was first struggling with terrible shoulder and back pain, and was taking pain medicine for it. Then, one night at a school fundraiser, she had a terrible reaction to the medicine after having a cocktail. Her husband brought her to the Emergency Room and, after several hours of tests, they found a mass in her lung. Later, they found the cancer had metastasized to her brain. They concluded that it was non-small cell lung cancer.”
There are 2 main types of lung cancer. 80% to 85% of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 10% to 15% are small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In the United States, the estimated number of lung cancer cases for 2016 was 117,920 for men and 106,470 for women. The age of patients at time of diagnosis varies, but the median age is approximately 70 years. Less than 1% of all lung cancers occur in patients under age 40. The overall 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is 17%.
How this cancer works is it is first found in the lung, nearby lymph nodes, and lymph nodes in the middle of the chest, in that order. It is found inside lymph nodes that are located on the same side of the chest where it first begins to grow. Then, it spreads to the lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest, or above the collarbone. It, finally, spreads to both lungs and into the area around them, or to other organs that are within its reach. It deeply affects how the lungs provide oxygen to the body via the blood. 90% of lung cancer originates from smoking because ingredients in cigarettes contain a cancer causing agent called a carcinogen. However, not all people who get lung cancer are smokers. Lung cancer in non-smokers can be caused by exposure to radon, secondhand smoke, air pollution, or workplace exposures to asbestos, diesel exhaust or certain other chemicals. There are many tests used to diagnose a patient with lung cancer. These tests include sputum cytology (a sample of mucus you cough up from the lungs), chest x-ray, MRI, CT scan, thoracentesis (testing the build up of fluid around the lungs), needle biopsy (doctor uses a syringe with a thin, hollow needle to withdraw cells and tissue samples), and bronchoscopy (a lighted, fiber-optic tube is passed through the mouth or nose and down into bronchi).
Overall, lung cancer of any type is very serious for those who are diagnosed with it. Lung cancer starts when lung cells become abnormal and grow out of control. As those cells develop, they form into a tumor and spread to other parts of the body. With treatment, only a small percentage of people survive. For other people, the cancer may never go away and life will become difficult and stressful. It is important to stay as healthy as possible during and after lung cancer treatment in order to yield the best outcome. Living life after lung cancer will be different, new, and challenging.
Citations
“Information and Resources about for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate, Skin.” American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org/.
“Tests for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.” American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org/cancer/non-small-cell-lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/how-diagnosed.html.
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