The two sponge-like organs that make up your lungs are divided into portions known as lobes in your chest. Three lobes make up your right lung. It is a left lung with two lobes. Because the heart occupies more space on the left side of the body, the left lung is smaller.

Breathing involves allowing air to enter your mouth or nose and travel via your trachea, or windpipe, into your lungs. The trachea splits into bronchi, which are tubes that reach the lungs and further split into smaller bronchi. These split to create bronchioles, which are smaller branches. Little air sacs called alveoli are found at the end of bronchioles.

When you breathe in, the alveoli take in oxygen from the surrounding air and expel carbon dioxide. when you exhale, the blood comes out. The primary functions of the lungs are the intake of oxygen and the expulsion of carbon dioxide.

The lungs are surrounded by a thin layer of tissue known as the pleura. Your pleura shields your lungs from harm and facilitates their movement against the chest wall as you breathe by causing them to expand and contract.

The diaphragm, a narrow, dome-shaped muscle located behind the lungs, divides the chest from the abdomen. The diaphragm expands and contracts during breathing, pushing air into and out of the lungs.

Lung cancer types

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are the two primary forms of lung cancer.

Lung cancer with non-small cells (NSCLC)

NSCLC accounts for 80%–85% of all lung cancer cases. NSCLC is primarily subdivided into three subtypes: large-cell carcinoma, squamous-cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Since their prognosis (or prospects) and courses of therapy are frequently comparable, these subtypes—which originate from several kinds of lung cells—are combined to form NSCLC.

Adenocarcinoma: Lung adenocarcinoma originates from the epithelial cells of the lung, which are responsible for producing mucus. The surface of the lungs is covered in epithelial cells. The most prevalent kind of non-small cell lung cancer is adenocarcinoma. The majority of cases of lung adenocarcinoma are among smokers or former smokers, however, it can also be the most prevalent kind of lung cancer that non-smokers experience. Compared to other forms of lung cancer, it is more common in women than in males and is more likely to strike younger individuals.