Dr. Tarek Alkhouri

Lungs are in a pair and are situated above diaphragm in the thoracic cavity. They are a crucial organ as they help oxygen bind chemically to our red blood cells and thus facilitate its transportation to the body. Our lungs have specially designed air sacs called alveoli, they help in exchange of gases. When alveoli of the lungs get damaged the oxygen carrying capacity of lungs decreases. There are number of reasons that can lead to damage of alveoli of the lungs, cancer is one of them. Cancer leads to uncontrolled damage at cellular level to the lung tissue and thus affects the oxygenation of blood. This leads to development of more pressure on heart and kidneys. Lung cancer can be categorized into various stages and thus is curable if detected early. Some of the signs of cancer or infection in lungs include breathlessness, fatigue, disturbed blood pressure levels, discomfort in chest cavity etc.