Why is lung cancer so deadly, and so quick?

Lung cancer is one of the most deadly types of cancer and can quickly spread within the body due to its location in the respiratory tract. The malignant cells that make up a lung cancer tumor are able to easily enter into the bloodstream and travel throughout the body, rapidly forming new tumors which can invade other organs and cause serious health problems. This process, known as metastasis, makes lung cancer particularly difficult to treat because by the time it is detected it has often already spread to multiple areas of the body.

Additionally, many people with lung cancers have no symptoms until their disease has progressed significantly, making treatment more complicated or impossible in some cases. Studies have also shown that certain genetic makeup may increase an individual’s chance for developing lung cancer and seeing faster progression rates once diagnosed.  The combination of rapid metastasis capabilities combined with lack of symptoms makes treating this type of cancer extremely challenging for doctors, leaving them unable to stop or reverse damage done by tumor growth in some cases.