Let's Get Rid Of Those Black Spots!

Research is being done on prevention, early detection, and treatment. Many researchers believe prevention is the greatest chance to fight against lung cancer. Obviously, smoking is related to lung cancer but researchers believe smoking is only 87% responsible for lung cancer. They are doing research on way to get people to quit smoking with counseling, nicotine replacement or any other medicines. Also, ways to get teens and younger people not to even start smoking to help prevent lung cancer in the future. They have discovered that with a high fruit and veggie diet, it has given people little protection. In the past, people thought they could find cancer soon enough to find the cancer by doing chest x-rays and other testing. But they've ended those type of tests because they couldn't find the cancer soon enough. They have recently tested high risk patients (because of smoking) in a spiral CT scanning and it has lowered their risk of cancer. Research is being continued on this issue.

Lung Cancer is Not Just One Disease

No Where To Run.

Prevention, its the effort to avoid risk factors and increasing the protective factors. Risk factors, are anything that would increase someones chances of developing the disease. Protective Factors, is anything that decreases the chance of developing lung cancer. Studies show that a person who has a diet rich in fruit, and veggies has less of a chance of getting cancer. Also, if your a heavy drinker you have a greater chance. So, obviously don't over drink and abuse your body and lungs. And, with more exercise they've noticed a decrease in chance EVEN after smoking a cigarette.

... You can only try to prevent the risk factors, and increase your proctective factors!

AND, never ever smoke its terrible for your body and there is nothing good about it.
End of Story.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=40243

Manifestation by Organ System

Lung Cancer mainly attacks the lungs. The tumor grows in the lung and puts pressure on the chest cavity, causing breathing troubles and chronic coughing. Lung Cancer can spread to the chest cavity causing even more pain and can fill the heart cavity with fluid. Lung Cancer can also affect the bones. If Lung Cancer spreads to the bones, it is extremely painful and makes the bone brittle and easily breakable. Lung Cancer metastasizes earlier than other cancers and usually affects bone, the brain, the liver, and glands.

Prognosis (outcome) of Lung Cancer

The prognosis of lung cancer depends on many things including the location of the cancer, the size of the cancer, the presence of the symptoms, and the health of the patient. If the patient is diagnosed with SCLC (small cell lung cancer) then the patient is given an estimated time of 2-4 months to live. This time can be lengthened if the patient is able to be treated with chemotherapy in combination with other methods. With SCLC only 5%-10% percent of the diagnosed patients are still alive five years after being diagnosed.

If the patient is diagnosed with NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) the prognosis depends on the stage of the tumor at the time of diagnosis. Results with standard treatment are poor in all but the smallest cancers that can be removed surgically. If the cancer is in stage one it can most likely be completely removed. This removal causes a 75% survival rate in stage one.

Over all, the prognosis for lung cancer is extremely low when compared to other types of cancers. The overall five-year survival rate for lung cancer is about 16%. Colon cancer has a 65%, breast cancer has an 89%, and prostate cancer has a 90% overall five-year survival rate.

http://www.medicinenet.com/lung_cancer/page7.htm#toci

Foundations Specific to Lung Cancer

There are many organizations that strive to make progress in the research and treatment of lung cancer. One of these organizations is the Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA). The LCFAs goal is to increase the five-year survival rates for all stages of lung cancer. This foundation hopes to do this by providing funding for lung cancer research.

Another foundation is the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. This foundations main goal is raise awareness of the cancer and to help advance the pace of research. To do this, the foundation hosts events such as Strides for Life and The Lung Cancer Awareness Luncheon. These events are designed to raise funds for lung cancer research as well as create awareness of lung cancer.

http://www.lungcancerresearchfoundation.org/

http://www.lcfamerica.org/welcome.html

Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Like many other things, the symptoms of lung cancer vary depending on where the lung cancer is, the stage of the cancer, and how widespread the cancer is. Unfortunately, as many as 25% of people who develop lung cancer do not have any symptoms and therefore these people do not get their lungs checked until their routine chest X-ray of CT scan.

There are many symptoms of lung cancer that are specific to this type of cancer. These symptoms are coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, and coughing up blood.  If the lung cancer is metastasis then it might have spread to the bones or the brain. If this is the case then the symptoms would include excruciating pain in the sites of bone movement, blurred vision, headaches, seizures, or strokes.

If the cancer is accompanied by symptoms that are caused by an increase in hormone-like substances by tumor cells then the symptoms are considered to be paraneoplastic. The paraneoplastic syndromes are most common in SCLC (it can be in other types). This causes an increase in the hormone called adrenocorticotrophic hormone. If the paraneoplastic syndrome is in NSCLC then the most frequent symptom is the production of a substance similar to parathyroid hormone. This causes an increase in levels of calcium in the bloodstream.

http://www.medicinenet.com/lung_cancer/page4.htm

;; Smoking Is Just One Cause.

What's the first thing that pops into your head when you hear lung cancer? For me, and many of you its ... smoking. Smoking takes up 90% of patients that have lung cancer. Everytime someone smokes a cigarette, it increases their chance of lung cancer. Pipe and cigar smoking can also cause lung cancer, but not as great as cigarettes. Tobacco smoke contains 4,000 different chemical compounds, which has been shown to lead to lung cancer. ALSO! Not only do smokers ruin their lives, but it also affects the people around them. People who don't smoke, but are around daily smokers have a 24% greater risk of getting lung cancer than other non smokers.

http://www.americancancerfund.org/basic-cancer-info/basic-info/lung/lung-cancer-causes?gclid=CPadsdrz8qwCFYTsKgodGTz7KA

Intro to Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer is, obviously, cancer of the lungs. Most lung cancer starts in the tubes of the lungs, called bronchi, that assist in getting oxygen in and out of the lungs for breathing. There are two types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. In most cases, people suffer from non-small cell lung cancer, but about 20% of people diagnosed with lung cancer have small cell lung cancer. If the cancer is made up of both types then it is called mixed small cell/large cell lung cancer. If the cancer start somewhere else in the body and is spread to the lungs, then it is labeled as metastatic cancer to the lungs.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004529/
http://www.healblog.net/health-news/lessening-the-mortality-of-advanced-lung-cancer/