A year ago, Mr. Phong was experiencing chest pain that he thought was just a muscle strain. However, despite visiting multiple doctors and undergoing various treatments, the pain persisted. It worsened when lying on his back or moving. At Tam Anh General Hospital in Hanoi, a low-dose CT lung scan detected abnormal thickening of the pleura. Thoracoscopic surgery was performed to biopsy the pleural lesion, revealing lung cancer with pleural metastasis.
Associate Professor Chu Thi Hanh, Head of the Respiratory Department at Tam Anh General Hospital, explained that lung cancer often presents symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, hoarseness, and hemoptysis. However, Mr. Phong did not exhibit these symptoms. The lung computed tomography showed pleural nodules and faint pleural thickening, leading to chest pain that could not be diagnosed for over a year.
After the diagnosis was made, Mr. Phong received a combination of treatments tailored to his condition and palliative care at the Oncology department. His health is currently stable. Lung cancer can be caused by smoking or exposure to carcinogens or other environmental factors like radiation or air pollution.
Associate Professor Hanh recommended low-dose lung CT scans as an effective lung cancer screening method due to its diagnostic accuracy and lower exposure to X-rays. It is especially beneficial for individuals at high risk of lung cancer due to factors like exposure to carcinogens or radiation, family history of lung cancer, or certain lung diseases.
In conclusion, it is important for individuals who experience persistent chest pain to undergo periodic lung cancer screenings if they have any risk factors associated with this deadly disease.
Mr. Phong’s story serves as a reminder that not all cases of chest pain are related to muscle strains or other minor injuries. In some cases, it may indicate more serious conditions like metastatic cancer that requires immediate medical attention.
Individuals who smoke regularly are at higher risk of developing lung cancer than those who quit smoking altogether. This highlights the importance of quitting smoking early in life before it becomes too late.
Therefore, people with a history of smoking should undergo periodic lung cancer screenings using low-dose CT scans as an effective screening method.
