Malignant neoplasms of the respiratory and thoracic organs - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

The respiratory organs include: larynx and trachea, bronchi and, directly, the lungs. In addition, the chest has a heart, large vessels, such as the aorta, hollow veins, pulmonary arteries, as well as the esophagus, fatty tissue and lymph nodes. All these structures and organs are located in the so-called mediastinum - a space that is bounded from two sides by the lungs, behind - by the spine, in front - by the sternum. There are often tumors and cysts, a large percentage of which are malignant in nature. In addition to the abovementioned organs, the thymus is located in the mediastinum - the hemopoietic gland is well developed in children; in adults, it does not carry a special function and is replaced by fat tissue. Of the thymus, high-grade, highly aggressive tumors often called thymomas often emerge. Also, in the mediastinum, the lower sections of the enlarged thyroid gland, which are called zagrudinny goiter, can very often become the source of cancer tumors and must be removed.

The lungs are located in special protective structures - pleural sacs, covering the lungs from the outside and lining the chest from the inside, there is a small amount of liquid between the pleura sheets that lubricates the lungs and prevents them from rubbing. Due to the presence of closed pleural sacks in the chest, a negative pressure is created, relative to the atmospheric pressure, which promotes the spreading of the lungs during inspiration. If the integrity of the pleural sacs is disturbed, for example, with a chest injury, the pressure in the pleural cavity is equalized and the lungs fall off without participating in breathing, which requires urgent surgical interventions. In some cases, the wound is closed( it does not communicate with the environment), then the air when inhaled penetrates into the pleural cavity, filling it and squeezing the internal organs, this condition is called pneumothorax( Latin "pneumo" - air, "thorax" - thoraciccell) and threatens the life of the patient, with bilateral pneumothorax, death can occur very quickly, within a few hours, as a result of compression of the chest, this condition requires urgent surgical care.

Pelvic tumors - lung lining, called mesothelioma, can be both benign and malignant, they are very dangerous, they react poorly to treatment, and they can not always be removed.

In addition, in the chest is a special, unique and one of the largest muscles of the human body, called the diaphragm. It delimits the thoracic and abdominal cavities from each other, maintaining the tightness of the organs of the chest, directly participating in the act of breathing. The diaphragm contracts and rises to the inspiratory phase, relaxes and descends into the exhalation phase. If the diaphragm is broken, the patient is disturbed by problems with breathing: shortness of breath, chest heaviness, lack of air. Tumors of the diaphragm are extremely rare, often tumors of neighboring organs: lung, pleura, liver, stomach or esophagus.

Also, quite often, there are tumors of the bones of the chest: ribs, sternum, clavicles. Especially dangerous are tumor data in young people, called osteosarcoma( from Latin "osteo" - bone).These tumors are highly malignant, grow rapidly and give metastases, poorly treatable.

Very often there are secondary changes in the organs of the chest - metastases of tumors of other organs. In the lungs are able to metastasize tumors of almost any organs, most often tumors of the breast, intestines, kidneys and the lungs. Metastases in the bones of the rib cage also occur: ribs, vertebrae, and sternum.

Tumors of the heart are extremely rare. A small tumor can be removed if it does not affect vital structures, such as cardiac pathways. In some cases, there are metastases of other malignant tumors in the heart. Symptoms are: shortness of breath, palpitation, chest and shoulder pain. Such patients are long treated by a cardiologist for heart failure or heart pain. The diagnosis is made on the basis of ultrasound examination of the heart and computed tomography of the chest.

Heart cancer

Malignant lung tumors

Tumors of the lungs can be divided into two groups: bronchial tumors and lung tissue tumors, the former are called central, the latter are called peripheral. Central lung tumors are the most difficult to diagnose, in the initial stages they are not always noticeable, an experienced radiologist can suspect a tumor only by some indirect signs, with this is the late detection of tumors of the bronchial tree.

Tumor of the bronchus, view through the endoscope

Tumors of the lung tissue are easily visible on the radiograph, even with small dimensions, but no symptoms, at an early stage, do not cause. For more information on the symptoms and diagnosis of lung tumors, see Lung Cancer.

The prognosis for lung cancer depends on the stage of the disease. With small tumors and the initial stage, the prognosis is almost always favorable, the survival rate of patients after surgery is high. In the presence of a tumor of stage 3, the prognosis for recovery is uncertain, even if the tumor is completely removed, the disease can return after a while, especially during the first year. At stage 4 of the tumor, the presence of metastases, no patient lives for more than 3 years.

Malignant tumors of the esophagus

In the chest cavity, behind the heart and large vessels, the esophagus is located in the posterior part of the mediastinum and on the anterior surface of the spine. It is tightly fixed to the surrounding organs and is closely related to them. Due to the close relationship between the nearby thoracic organs and the esophagus, some diseases of this organ can give serious complications. Thus, inflammation and trauma to the esophagus lead to involvement in the process of surrounding fatty tissue, trachea, heart bag, that is, a serious infectious disease - mediastinitis( Latin "mediastinum" - mediastinum), often leading to the death of patients.

Esophageal cancer

Tumors of the esophagus, in the first place, lead to narrowing of the esophagus lumen and disruption of food-dysphagia, up to the complete impossibility of passing the fluid.

Malignant tumors of the esophagus quickly sprout its wall and pass to surrounding organs: trachea, large vessels, lungs, which makes it impossible to remove them.

Esophageal cancer, without treatment, can lead to the death of the patient from exhaustion.

Esophageal cancer is treated very poorly, due to the anatomical features of the organ and the rapid spread of the tumor to adjacent structures of the chest.
For more information about esophageal cancer, see Esophageal cancer.

Mediastinal malignancies

Mediastinal tumors are quite common, they can be: thymus tumors - thymomas, lymphatic tissue tumors and lymph nodes - lymphomas and lymphosarcomas, tumors without a clear organ, tumors from adipose tissue - lpososarcomas, neural tissue tumors and others.

Timima

Timomes are tumors of the thymus gland. The thymus is located behind the sternum, lies on the anterior surface of the large vessels of the mediastinum and the bifurcation of the trachea. Patients for a long time do not worry. The tumor is found accidentally or in the presence of such symptoms as: shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, as a result of tumor pressure on the trachea and large bronchi. Symptoms of mediastinal tumors, in addition, may be pain in the chest - behind the sternum, giving back or shoulder blades, weakness, edema of the upper half of the thorax, neck and face. High-quality and aggressive tumors, thymomas, grow quite rapidly, the only method of treatment is surgical - complete removal of the tumor. Timoms are not sensitive to therapeutic methods of influence: chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The danger of these tumors is a rapid aggressive growth and germination of surrounding organs, which makes it impossible to remove them.

X-ray of a major tumor of the mediastinum .

Lymphomas and lymphosarcomas

Tumors from lymphatic tissue - lymphomas and lymphosarcomas are the most common mediastinal tumors, especially in young patients. Symptoms are similar to thymus tumors, but in addition, there may be changes in the nearby lymph nodes - supraclavicular and cervical, in the form of their increase, merging into conglomerates. The presence of enlarged lymph nodes above the clavicle and on the neck is often the first symptom of the disease and causes patients to consult a doctor. Large lymphomas and lymphosarcomas usually do not remove, they are treated with chemotherapy. The prognosis for lymphomas, with adequate treatment, is usually favorable, often the full recovery of patients occurs. With lymphosarcomas the prognosis is poor, the tumors practically do not respond to treatment, quickly lead to the death of patients from complications.

Complications of mediastinal tumors

Complications of mediastinal tumors are associated with their germination and compression of nearby organs: disruption of the heart, swelling of the face and neck, fistula formation between internal organs, suppuration and spread of infection.

Mediastinal cysts are often found - benign tumors consisting of a thin capsule and liquid contents, they are not dangerous, but in some cases can degenerate into malignant tumors.

Pleural malignant pleurisy of the

Pleura is a thin serous membrane covering the surface of the lungs and the thorax from the inside. The cause of the development of these tumors is contact with toxic substances, most often with asbestos, in technical production.

Tumor grows on the surface of the lung or directly on the chest wall, grows into soft tissues, nerves or lung. Tumors of the pleura in some cases cause accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity, due to disruption of normal absorption processes and the formation of serous fluid. Symptoms of pleural tumors: shortness of breath, associated with the presence of fluid in the pleural cavity, pain in the chest or at a certain point, dry coughing, chest pain, fever, weakness.

Treatment: removal of the tumor is possible provided there is no fluid in the pleural cavity and the presence of a single tumor. If it is impossible to remove, chemotherapy is used, but the effect of treatment does not always come, since the tumor is practically insensitive to medications. Patients quickly die from exhaustion and progressive development of the tumor process.

Doctor's consultation:

Question: What causes the development of tumors of the chest?
Answer: The cause of the development of tumors are the effects of harmful environmental factors: chemical carcinogens released from fuel combustion, as industrial wastes entering the external environment with emissions from enterprises and, of course, smoking - inhaling tobacco smoke.

Question: What is the survival rate for tumors of the chest?
Answer: Survival depends on the stage of the tumor process. At stage 1-2, the survival rate reaches about 70% under condition of adequate treatment( operation).

Doctor oncologist Barinova N.Yu.