The Lung
The lung, of which there are usually two, is an organ that is necessary for respiration. They are located in the rib cage on either side of the heart, near the spine. The lungs main function is bringing oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and to taking carbon dioxide out of the bloodstream and into the atmosphere.
Air is brought into the lungs through the trachea or (windpipe) which branches off into tubes called bronchi. The bronchi branch off into smaller and smaller tubes called bronchioles. These bronchioles end in clusters of small sacs of air called alveoli. Inside of the alveoli is where the actual exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. The concentration of oxygen within these sacs is high so incoming oxygen moves across the alveoli membrane easily (diffuses). The alveoli are surrounded by a flow of small blood vessels called pulmonary capillaries. The hemoglobin (a protein responsible for oxygen transport) in the red blood cells has carbon dioxide bound to it but not a lot of oxygen. The oxygen inhaled is bound to the hemoglobin and the carbon dioxide is released and passed through the membrane back into the alveoli sac for exhalation. By breathing you keep the oxygen concentration high in the alveoli and the carbon dioxide concentration low so the exchange of gases can take place. |
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The Alveoli
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Other functions of the lungs besides respiration:
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The lung with NSCLC
For the most part, while you have non small cell lung cancer you will still be able to breath the same way you did before. The lung will continue to try to operate the same way however the larger the tumor grows, the more trouble it will have doing so.
Cancerous growths within the airways of the lungs can be very threatening to the functionality of the lung. For example a tumor might grow large enough in the air passages of the lung to become an obstruction and block airways. This blockage would cause chest pain, persistent cough, and shortness of breath. Obstructing Growths in the airways can also cause the collapse of the lung (Atelectasis). Lungs may also become inflamed and develop fluid in the air sacs as a result of NSCLC, which also makes respiration harder. |