In the Czech Republic, lung carcinoma is the second most frequent type of cancer after malignant tumours of the large intestine, and this trend is constantly growing. The majority of newly diagnosed cases are detected at an advanced stage (stage III and IV). Due to that, five-year survival in both genders reaches slightly above 10%. The fact that in both genders it is the most common cause of death from cancer bears witness to the severity of the disease.
In terms of biological properties and therapeutic procedures, lung carcinoma may be classified as small-cell and non-small-cell carcinoma. Proton therapy is suitable for non-small-cell lung carcinoma, which accounts for approximately 75–80% of lung tumours. Non-small-cell lung carcinoma growth is much slower than that of small-cell carcinoma and, therefore, there are better chances of surgical removal, but only provided that the tumour has not already developed metastatic deposits.
There are no early warning signals that would allow the disease to be detected at the initial stage. Once the disease symptoms occur, the stage of the tumour is advanced. A small tumour may sometimes be detected when another disease is examined.
Lung cancer symptoms may include a newly formed persistent cough or a change in the nature of a chronic smoker’s cough. In lung tumour diagnosis, some 80% of patients suffer from cough. Another symptom is coughing up blood or the presence of traces of blood in the cough sputum. Pulmonary inflammations are also common, they do not recede when antibiotics are administered, or they are recurrent in the same place.
