Cancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. The two main types are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope.
“Tumor” simply means an abnormal buildup of tissue that occurs when cells divide too quickly or do not die off as they normally should. A lung tumor is a tumor that occurs in the lung tissue itself or in the airways that lead to the lungs. Lung tumors can be either cancerous (malignant) or benign (non-cancerous).
Lung metastases are formed by the spread of cancer from other organs to the lung.
Cancer cells can spread by breaking away from the primary (original) tumor, traveling through blood vessels or lymph nodes to reach other parts of the body. After traveling, cancer cells can attach to other tissues and grow more of the abnormal cells.
Polyps are small soft tissue growths that commonly occur in the nasal passageway and are frequently associated with chronic rhinosinusitis, allergies, asthma, and aspirin sensitivity in the syndrome of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD). Large growths can sometimes cause symptoms of nasal airway congestion or blockage, thick discharge, and anosmia (the loss of the ability to detect one or more smells).
A deviated septum is when the thin wall (nasal septum) between the nasal passages is off-center (deviated) to one side, making one nasal passage smaller than the other. This can be present at birth or from an injury to the nose. Often a deviated septum does not cause symptoms and no further evaluation or management is needed.
