Lung Mass Summary of Pathophysiology

Health Case Study: Lung Mass

Summary of Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology of Lung Mass: The first possible diagnosis from the given case is lung mass, as the chest X-ray suggested. Lung mass is most commonly referred to as lung cancer; however, lung mass is an abnormal growth of spots greater than 3cm (Eldridge, 2021). Further tests determine the type of lung cancer as 4 to 5% of the lung masses end up in cancer. Two chief histological groups of cancer are the most prevalent types: small lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-SCLC (NSCLC) (Inamura, 2017). The molecular and cellular disturbance in the lung structure with masses in the organ’s DNA.

Pathophysiology of Emphysema: Another possibility after reading the given case is that the 52-year old is the occurrence of emphysema. It causes disturbance in the local tissues of the lungs, and the mechanism changes in the alveolar walls, resulting in their rupture (Cantor & Turino, 2019). The fibers and collagen are disturbed, which causes an increment in their stiffness.

Applicability to Clinical Practice

Research of current practice in primary care settings wolfing close to COPD symptoms, including lung mass and emphysema, revealed that people suffering from these diseases’ symptoms are unaware of its signs of existence (Foster et al., 2007). Those patients’ non-adherence is due to this very incidence that becomes a key barrier in primary care practice. The self0-management training and education about the disease should be conducted by the primary care providers to the patients so that the complexity should be mitigated and compatibility to fight the disease could be strengthened.

Diagnostic Reasoning

Emphysema could be one of the reasons that had developed within the 52-year old lady’s lungs as she had been a smoker for 30 years but had quit smoking last year. The initial signs of smoking cessation could be evident with the prevalence of emphysema, which has primary symptoms like shortness of breath, particular while climbing stairs or doing light exercise (which was a long walk in this lady’s case), long term cough (which was two months cough in the given case) and long-term mucus production (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). It has even been deduced that mucus production could be due to the presence of emphysema that might have produced lung mass that became evident in the chest X-ray.

Further, old age is a high-risk factor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in which one of the ailments is emphysema. The mortality rates have been researched to be as high in smoking-cessation groups due to COPD (Bai et al., 2017). However, since the chest x-ray describes the existence of a lung mass, it is most probably due to smoking. Coughing and shortness of breath are two major reasons for lung mass (Eldridge, 2021).

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