Lung Cancer in Washington State

Cancer is a group of diseases in which there is abnormal and often rabid cell growth and spread. It can happen in many different forms anywhere in the body. The leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide is lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a type of cancer that attacks the lungs. There are two main types: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, called NSCLC and SCLC respectively.

SCLC is usually treated with chemotherapy and almost always associated with cigarette smoking. NSCLC makes up the majority of lung cancer cases, with 80% being this type. It is slower to grow and spread than SCLC.

To treat lung cancer patients, a variety of methods are used (based on the stage of the disease). They include but are not limited to: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

The primary cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoking. Other causes include but are not limited to air pollution, secondhand smoke, radon gas, and frequent exposure to certain chemicals and substances. Avoiding these, as well as getting regular check-ups from a doctor, are good prevention measures for lung cancer.

At a cellular level, the causes of cancer are mutations in the DNA of the cells. These mutations can occur due to genetics, environmental exposures (e.g., radiation), and lifestyle habits. Risk factors include old age, family history of the disease, exposure to carcinogens, unhealthy diet, lack of physical exercise.

Some symptoms are excessive coughing (blood or not), chest pain, shortness of breath, and significant weight loss.

For future reference, here is a map of Washington and all its counties. This panel can be accessed again by clicking the "Washington Counties" tab on the top of the screen or by clicking the link at the top of each section.

Link to counties:  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9c9b153583b445c2b2882682e39cf83f#ref-n-zXLMVU 

Note: The next few maps are interactive and are in the form of a slideshow. To interact with a map, scroll/click/drag on it. To move to the next map, press the arrows on either side. Link to counties:  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9c9b153583b445c2b2882682e39cf83f#ref-n-zXLMVU 

Link to counties:  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9c9b153583b445c2b2882682e39cf83f#ref-n-zXLMVU 

As seen above, while there is a lot of data collected between sexes, data for races/ethnicities is quite under-researched. Only more populous parts of Washington have data for Black, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander people and for Hispanic people. It, too, is highly irregular. It is very unlikely that this lack of data is caused by a lack of people with lung cancer in other parts of the state-- it is much more likely that there is not enough awareness or push in those communities to be part of surveys or research.

Just because it is not visible doesn't mean it is not there. It is crucial to raise awareness about this. It is imperative to educate the people of Washington about this disease and many others. By raising awareness for and in these communities, it ensures that people in those areas and demographics are more educated about lung cancer, recognize its signs, and know what to do if it does happen to them or someone they know.

Lung cancer affects millions of people worldwide and its social significance and stigma in society are very important to consider. It is often associated with negative stereotypes, like smoking and a lack of responsibility. The link between lung cancer and smoking has led to a perception that those who develop the disease brought it upon themselves. This stigma can lead to feelings of shame, isolation, and discrimination, making it more challenging for individuals with lung cancer to seek support or share their experiences openly. Moreover, people with lung cancer face discrimination in social places due to the negative stereotypes. Despite significant advancements in medical research and treatment options, lung cancer remains a challenging disease with a significant impact on individuals and society. It is essential to increase awareness and education to overcome the stigma associated with this disease and provide better support to those affected.

New ideas and approaches to lung cancer are incredibly important as they can provide valuable insights into the the disease and lead to the development of new treatments. Here are some of the scientific significance of new ideas/approaches to lung cancer:

1. Immunotherapy is a promising new approach to treating lung cancer that involves boosting the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells. This approach has shown promise in clinical trials and has already been approved for use in some cases of lung cancer.
2. Liquid biopsies is a new approach to diagnosing lung cancer that involves analyzing a patient's blood for signs of cancer. This approach is less invasive than traditional biopsies and may be able to detect cancer at an earlier stage, which can improve the chances of successful treatment.
3. Precision medicine is an approach to treating lung cancer that involves changing treatment to a patient's specific genetic makeup. This approach can help identify the most effective treatments for individual patients, leading to better outcomes.
4. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to develop new approaches to diagnosing and treating lung cancer. For example, AI algorithms can analyze medical images to detect signs of cancer that may be missed by human doctors.
5. Targeted therapies is a new approach to treating lung cancer which involves targeting specific genes or proteins that are involved in the development of the disease. This approach can lead to more effective treatments with fewer side effects.

Overall, new ideas and approaches to lung cancer are significant because they have the potential to improve our understanding of the disease and lead to the development of more effective treatments.

In conclusion, lung cancer is a disease that affects individuals from all backgrounds, but certain groups are disproportionately impacted due to environmental and social factors. Efforts to address lung cancer must include a focus on equity to ensure that all individuals have access to prevention, early detection, and treatment. Addressing environmental factors, such as air pollution, is critical to reducing the burden of lung cancer on marginalized communities. Moreover, it is important to recognize and overcome the social stigma associated with lung cancer to provide better support and care to those affected. By taking a big approach that considers the social and environmental factors related to lung cancer, we can improve outcomes for individuals and communities affected by this disease.

At our school, Tesla STEM High School, there were a lot of research projects being conducted and we were intruiged by one of them which talked about potentially curing cancer. This caught our attention and we wanted to learn more about this. We decided to choose the topic cancer because it is a very important issue that is happening globally. We were initially going to do it on cancer but later decided to do lung cancer. We chose to do lung cancer because it is one of the most dangerous type of cancer and we thought it is very important to bring awareness to this. We did not recieve any help on this project. We used the data given by WTN and the online maps available on ArcGIS. There were a couple of challenging things in this project. There was plenty of useful WTN data, all of which could be related to our final topic. However, we had to be wise with our time management and efforts. This was to ensure that we were not just doing a broad, weak overview but rather an in-depth, detailed analysis. We had to look through several counties and several different versions of the data until our team finally settled on a result we were satisfied with.