Lung Cancer

The lungs are an essential life force for our bodies. The body cannot survive without the lungs ability to draw life-sustaining oxygen from the air and expel toxic carbon dioxide. The oxygen supplied by the lungs is necessary for the proper functioning of all our body's cells. Therefore, alterations in that ability affect every part of the body.

Each lung is divided into lobes. Unlike other body parts, the lungs are not an exact match. The right lung is divided into three lobesupper, middle and lower. The left lung has two lobes- upper and lower. Each of these lobes functions as a mini-lung. This unique quality allows surgeons to remove one or more lobes, as is sometimes necessary for lung cancer treatment, leaving the remaining lobes unaffected and capable of sustaining life.

The center of the chest is called the mediastinum. This is the part of the body that contains the heart, major blood vessels, lymph nodes and the esophagus. Pulmonary arteries and veins are responsible for carrying blood to and from the lungs. The pleura is a slippery membrane that lines your chest cavity and covers each of your lungs to allow the lungs to move smoothly.

Inhalation delivers air to the lungs via the bronchial tree which consists of the trachea (wind pipe) and branches out into two bronchi leading to each lung. The branches continue into a tree like structure inside the lungs referred to as the bronchial tubes or bronchioles. There are more than 300 million alveoli, clusters of microscopic air sacs, contained at the ends of the bronchioles. The alveoli are responsible for the transferring of oxygen and carbon dioxide. As cells receive oxygen, they release carbon dioxide and other toxic substances into the blood stream. Carbon dioxide then passes from small blood vessels called capillaries into the alveoli. When we exhale we expel carbon dioxide into the air. With our next breath the entire process begins again.