Lung Cancer: Case Study (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

The fight against lung cancer in the 21st century - Summary

• Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in Britain

• It affects mostly people aged 70–74

• There were over 48,000 cases from 2016–2018

  • Only 10% survive more than 10 years

• 85% of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking

  • There are other causes, such as breathing in radon gas

• In the 19th century, lung cancer was rare (only 1% of tumours)

  • By 1927, smoking caused lung cancer cases to rise to 14% of all tumours

• By the 1950s, up to 80% of British men smoked

  • Many tobacco companies created slogans and used celebrities in their adverts

• Government action came much later in the 21st century, through the NHS 

Diagnosis of lung cancer

Issues with diagnosis

• Patients can mistake their symptoms for other conditions

• Cancerous tumours in the lungs are hard to detect before they become very large

• There is no national screening programme for lung cancer

Old methods of diagnosis

• Relied on taking an X-ray of the patient's lungs for signs of a tumour

• X-rays did not provide an image with enough detail to accurately diagnose lung cancer

  • Abscesses in the lungs could be mistaken for cancer in an X-ray

  • When the tumour was detected on X-ray, it was usually too late to treat

Modern diagnosis of lung cancer

• Modern diagnosis now requires a patient to have a CT scan 

  • A dye is injected to give a clearer image of the lungs

• If cancer is detected, there are two pathways:

PET-CT scan

• Instead of dye, a small amount of radiation is injected into the patient before the scan

  • A doctor will then look for cancerous cells in the lungs

Bronchoscopy

• A camera called a bronchoscope is inserted into the body through the mouth

  • When it reaches the lungs, the doctor will collect a biopsy of cells for analysis

Stages of cancer

• Cancer is measured in stages between 1 and 4

  • Stage 1 cancer is small and in one area

  • Stage 4 cancer has spread to other parts of the person's body

Process for diagnosing lung cancer

Treatment of lung cancer: Science & technology

• Lung cancer treatments depend on how early a doctor can diagnose the tumour

Radiotherapy

• Uses radiation to shrink large tumours or destroy small tumours

  • Can be administered:

    • From outside the body

    • Through a catheter next to the tumour

Chemotherapy

• Uses strong drugs to kill cancer cells or slow down its growth over several months

• Chemotherapy can cause severe side effects such as:

  • Extreme sickness

  • Hair loss

  • A higher risk of catching infections

Transplants

• When a lung too damaged from cancer is replaced with a donor lung

• Sometimes, transplants are not performed as humans only need one lung to survive

Genetic research

• Scientists are beginning to test how individual DNA reacts to different cancer treatments

• In the future, cancer could be treated with pharmacogenomics

  • This is when treatments are personalised based on someone’s DNA.

Prevention of lung cancer: Government action

Why was the government slow to fight smoking?

• Tobacco companies were big employers in Britain

• Government earned £4 billion a year in tobacco tax

• It was unusual to tell citizens to change their behaviour

• However, smoking-related deaths were costing the NHS £165 million each year

Government action against smoking

Influencing attitudes towards smoking

• Banned TV adverts for cigarettes (1965)

• Banned tobacco companies having sports sponsorships, such as Formula 1 in 2005

• Schools taught students about dangers of smoking

• Cigarettes hidden from shop displays

Changing laws about smoking

• In 2007, raised the age to buy cigarettes from 16 to 18

• The 2007 Health Act banned smoking indoors in public places

  • In 2015, this extended to cars which contained children under the age of 18 to reduce second-hand smoking

• Increased tax on cigarettes to make them harder to afford, encouraging people to quit