Facts about Lung Cancer

What is lung cancer?
Cancer is a class of diseases resulting from uncontrollable cell growth that does not die. Naturally, regular cells follow a process which is growth, division and death. When this process is interrupted, that is instead of the cells dying, it grows continuously and divides, forming lumps of tissues called tumors, cancer begins, because the tumor interferes with the function of the lungs which is to provide the blood stream with oxygen for the entire body.

 Types of Tumors
 Benign Tumor – This is when a tumor stays in a spot demonstrating limited growth

 Malignant Tumor – This is formed when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body through the blood stream
 When it spreads and continues to grow destroying healthy tissues then the tumor is said to have metastasized Malignant tumors are very difficult to treat

 Lung cancer is said to be of the lungs when the cancer originates with the lungs
 The list of those diagnosed of lung cancer keeps increasing everyday. In 2007 statistics shows that of all the people diagnosed of cancer 15% of them have lung cancer and of all cancer death recorded, 29% were of lung cancer
 Lung cancer is presently the leading cause of death for men and second cause of death for women. The rise in the rate of lung cancer can be attributed to the rise in the number of smokers. We only hope that the numbers will reduce in the future since serious awareness programs are now being carried out
 Lung cancer is almost always found in older people (60 and above) that is because it takes a long period for it to develop
 Classification of Lung Cancer
 Lung cancer is classified into two parts:Non – small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)The Non small cell lung cancer is the most common and is responsible for 80% of lung cancer cases while the small cell lung cancer is responsible for 20%

 There are four different types of Non – small cell lung cancer and they are as follows:Squamous cell carcinoma Adenocarcinoma Bronchioalveolar carcinoma (small cell or oat cell)Large – cell undifferentiated carcinoma More than 95 percent of lung cancers belong to the bronchogenic carcinoma . The small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is of small cells that multiply rapidly forming large tumor that moves through the body system. Smoking is largely responsible for SCLC
 It is essential that a person knows the kind of lung cancer he/she has because just as there are different types of cancers, symptoms varies and so is it treatments.

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Causes of Lung Cancer

What causes Lung Cancer?
Smoking is number one on the list of . Infact about 90% of lung cancers arise as a result of tobacco use. Lung cancer started it rise in the 1930’s when tobacco smoking become popular among young men and women. The risk of lung cancer in smokers is 10-20 times higher than those who have never smoked.

Cigarette Smoking and Lung Cancer
Cigarette smoking contains more than 4,000 different chemicals, 80 of which are known carcinogens and others increase the cancer-causing power of the carcinogen.

Secondhand smokers (those who do not smoke but inhale the smell) are also affected by many of these chemicals, which make secondhand smoke a cause of lung cancer

According to a report in 1993, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said secondhand smoking causes 3,000 lung cancer deaths among non smokers every year

When a person smokes, the burning tobacco (cigarette) containing high concentration of carcinogens circulates into the air and it is inhaled by the smokers and those around them.
Men who smoke are 22 times more at risk of developing lung cancer while women who smoke are 12 times more at risk.
The longer and more cigarettes a person smokes, the more at risk the person is and if the person quits smoking, the chances of developing lung cancer and other smoking related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis reduce steadily each year because the abnormal cells will become replaced by normal cells. And as the person keeps to the new habit of no smoking, his risk decreases to a level of 30-50 percent of those who continue to smoke.

The risk of lung cancer at 5 years after quitting smoking is divided by half of what it used to be before quitting

Radon and Lung Cancer
Radon (air borne) is another cause of lung cancer. Radon is a problem that has been detected in every state in the US and EPA records shows that 1 of every 15 homes in US has a radon level that is at or above it recommended guideline of four picocuries per liter of air on a yearly average. Schools and workplaces are also at risk

Since radon is invisible and odorless people can not tell when they are being exposed to it except when it level is measured.
A smoker that is also been exposed to radon has a greater health risk generally.

Asbestos and Lung Cancer
Another common cause of cancer is an industrial substance known as Asbestos and it is the most common substance associated with lung cancer

Other
Other air borne carcinogens found in the office and at home are: Uranium, arsenic, and chromium. Continuous exposure of the lung tissues to carcinogens causes gene mutations that affect each cell’s ability to maintain normal growth and divisions. When numbers of cells affected increases the mutated cells keeps dividing beyond control and forms a tumor.

Other things that can increase a person’s risk are: certain forms of insulation, repairing brakes and certain environments, like an environment with a coke oven

When smoking is combine with carcinogens, the risk of developing lung cancer is very greatly increased.

These are the common known .

Lung cancer can also be caused by genetic predisposition.Posted byKaro ItojeLabels:,Lung cancer and smokingNo comments:Post a Comment

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Signs of lung cancer

This article outline some common so you can watch out for these signs and be able to detect cancer at it early stage, because when cancer is detected early there is a 50% survival rate after 5 years compared to 15% survival rate for lung cancer
So awareness of lung cancer signs is the key to surviving the deadly disease
The start gradually and blow up as it spreads. It early signs can be mistaken for something else and not taken seriously

 However, do go for a checkup when you are experiencing chest pain, wheezing, bouts of bronchitis or a consistent chronic cough that you can not attribute to anything like fever, virus or flu
Some later
Once lung cancer has spread beyond the bronchia it signs broadens and changes drastically. It symptoms is dependant on the position of the lesions that settles into the tissue of the lung first. For instance, the signs for cancer that has circulated to the brain among other signs are blurred vision, stroke and migraines.
And these are symptoms that could be associated to other illnesses or diseases.

 The advice is once you are experiencing a serious symptom, do not assume to know what is causing it, visit your doctor to be sure of the reason for the symptoms you are having. Also signs such as shoulder pain, difficult in swallowing, depression, weight loss, and fatigue should not be dismissed.

 See your doctor as a friend, so you do not always feel reluctant to pay a visit or give him a call whenever you are experience something unusual and persistent; especially take the signs seriously if you are a smoker or ex-smoker and have been expose to carcinogens for long See your doctor if you are experiencing the following signs:
Undue weight lossDifficulty in breathingPersistent respiratory infectionChest painUndue fatigueWheezingUndue chronic cough Do not forget that you are experiencing these symptoms because your immune system is trying to fight the disease
Unfortunately, records have shown that 25% of lung cancer patients do not experience any of these symptoms. This fact has made annual checkup very important. Do not think you are in good health because you look and feel healthy. See your doctor at least once a year for a general checkup.

 The above mentioned are just the common signs, you could expereince some signs not mentioned here. Consult your doctor for any unwaranted symptoms you experience   Posted byKaro ItojeLabels:No comments:Post a Comment

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Treatment for Lung Cancer

How to Treat Lung Cancer

The depends on different factors, most important of these factors being the type of cancer (histopathologic) and the stage of the cancer

Once this is known the doctor and the patient then work together to determine a treatment plan that is suitable for the patient putting the following factors into consideration

The general health of the patient

The patient’s possible medical condition that can hamper the treatment (such as chemotherapy)

The characteristics of the tumor

With the characteristics of the lung tumor the doctor will be able to tell what group the patient belongs to, whether the patient is of high risk of cancer recurrence or low risk of it.

There are three main treatments for cancer, they are as follows:

Surgery

Surgery is the oldest treatment for cancer. When it is in its first and second stage and has not spread to other organs (metastasized) the patient could be cured by surgically removing the tumor and the nearby lymph nodes completely.
After cancer has spread, it is almost impossible to remove all the cancer cells

Lung cancer surgery is performed by a specially trained thoracic surgeon

There are two types of surgeries. The curative which is for early stage cancer that removes all the cancerous tissue and the pallative which only remove an obstruction so the airway is free just to make the patient comfortable and not necessarily removing the cancer

Surgical treatment could cause a problem to the surrounding parts which could lead to pain and infection.

Options are given by the doctor that could relief the pain and antibiotics are used to prevent infections from the wound of the surgery or elsewhere

Radiation

Radiation or radiotherapy tries to destroy or shrinks lung cancer tumors by concentrating high-energy rays on the cancer cells. This damages the molecules that makes up the cancer cells and force them to death.

Radiotherapy can either be used as main , added to surgery to kill remaining cells or kill cancer cells that have spread to other organ (metastasized)

The side effects of Radiation

As radiation is used to kill cancer cells especially in it early stage it could also kill normal healthy cells. Though with improved technology this has been curtailed and beams can now target cancer cells more accurately

Lung cancer treatment takes effect in weeks or months depending on the size of the tumor and the level of radiation and whether or not damages where done to non cancerous cells

Some common effects of radiation are: nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, hair loss, dry, irritated and sensitive skin

Chemotherapy

NSCLC and SCLC could be treated with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy refers to the administration of drugs that stop cancer cells from growing either by killing them or preventing them from dividing

Chemotherapy could be administered alone in place of surgery, or combined with radiotherapy

Several drugs have been developed for the treatment of lung cancer but the class of drugs called platinum has been found to be the best in the treatment of lung cancers

Chemo is good treatment for SCLC because the tumors are already widespread in the body when diagnosed

Survival rate of SCLC patients is greatly increased by four to five times but without it only half of it patient can survive for four months.

Chemotherapy alone cannot treat NSCLC effective except that it can be used to prolong survival in many cases when it has metastasized

Chemotherapy could be in form of pills, intravenous infusion or a combination of both. Chemo drugs are given in series referred to as cycles – over a period of weeks or months with a break in between

Side effects of Chemotherapy

The drugs used also kill healthy tissue hence it side effect. When blood cells are damaged it could result in increased susceptibility to infections and difficulties with blood clotting

Other possible effects of chemo are: hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue and mouth sores

Side effects of chemotherapy vary depending on the drugs and dosage used and the individual taking it

There are medications now that can prevent or cure these side effects of chemo. Though all the side effect usually disappear during recovery of the treatment or upon completion of it

Other lung cancer treatments

Researchers have continued to search for ways to improve the and eliminate most of the side effects. So they have designed targeted therapies that will only treat cancer cells without affecting normal and healthy cells

There are also lung cancer vaccines that transform cancer cells so they are no more cancerous

These targeted therapies are also known as immuno therapies because it more like it gives the immune system more power so it can fight the disease.

I hope you find this article on the helpful. I wish you the best in your fight against the deadly disease called CancerPosted byKaro ItojeLabels:No comments:Post a Comment

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What is Lung Cancer -- Small Cell and Non-Small Cell Cancer

Having lung cancer means that cancerous cells are in your lungs and they are typically growing.

There are two main types of lung cancer: Small Cell and Non-Small Cell.

If you are diagnosed with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, it might be either: Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma page, or Large Cell Carcinoma.

The type and severity will help determine the best course of treatment as well as the Top of type of symptoms you'll experience.

After a Lung Cancer Diagnosis...

After a diagnosis, a recommendation based on the stage of cancer, will be made. Of the four stages, those with Stage 1 (the least) will get a recommendation that's different from someone who has a more advanced stage of cancer.

It's important to realize that regardless of where you are at when you get diagnosed, there are strategies that you can use to help you deal with symptoms, side-effects of treatment, pain, and to strengthen your body so you can increase your chances of survival.

What is Lung Cancer Going to Do to My Health?

Those who are diagnosed with lung cancer most often experience a chronic cough, difficulty and/or painful breathing, coughing up phlegm and/or blood.

Some also experience problems swallowing, facial swelling, weight loss, and voice hoarseness. Depending on the type and severity of the cancer, other symptoms can also be present.

Your physician may recommend: surgery, targeted drug therapy, radiation, chemotherapy or a combination of the above but most people want to know, "What else can I do?"

People who want to understand "what is lung cancer?", to maximize their chance of survival can, and should, also learn about other cancer fighting strategies.

There are strategies that can help facilitate the treatment recommended by your doctor, and help you better cope with the side-effects of that treatment.

Resources

CancerFightingStrategies.com provides helpful information about various cancer fighting strategies, regardless of the diagnosis or stage.

Learn about dietary suggestions and supplements that help boost your body's ability to fight as well as to help you feel more energized. How you feel is important when cancer treatments can create seemingly unbearable nausea and fatigue.

Now is the time when you need to be as strong as possible and as knowledgeable as possible so that you can fight. Cancer fighting strategies can help you, regardless of the prognosis.

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The Stages of Lung Cancer

Stages of Lung Cancer: It's Never too Late to Take Action

Soon after a lung cancer diagnosis, questions about the stages of lung cancer, treatment, effects and more, all start to surface.

Asking questions is a positive sign because it means that you are getting educated so you have the best chance at beating this.

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Stage 3 Lung Cancer and Lung Cancer Fighting Strategies

Stage 3 Lung Cancer

If you have been told you have Stage 3 lung cancer, it's important to learn all you can about cancer fighting strategies.

Above and beyond what your physician tells you, there are additional things you can do to help facilitate treatment and improve your chances of remission.

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Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment... What to Expect

Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment & Alternatives

Small cell lung cancer treatment methods will vary, depending on the stage when the cancer is diagnosed.

Small cell lung cancer is most often caused by tobacco-smoking, although being exposed to substances such as radon and / or asbestos as well as second hand smoke can also contribute.

Looking at treatment options, including complimentary medicine, is a wise decision.

Diagnosis

Symptoms of lung cancer include: chronic cough, coughing up blood, recurring bouts of pneumonia, and other symptoms.

A lung cancer diagnosis most often occurs: during a physical exam, CAT scan, PET scan (positron emission tomography), checking mucus under a microscope, thoracoscopy, or biopsy.

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Lung Cancer Warning Signs and the Need for Early Diagnosis

Lung Cancer Warning Signs

If you are looking for lung cancer warning signs and symptoms, chances are you are experiencing some symptoms now that you believe could indicate lung cancer.

Early Detection Can Make a Difference

It's very smart of you to take symptoms seriously and try to determine whether or not you need to be concerned. Far too many people ignore early warning signs until a disease progresses into the later stages.

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Lung Cancer Symptoms and Diagnosis

Lung Cancer Symptoms: Don't Ignore Them...

Lung cancer symptoms can also be other illnesses and that's a problem because many people ignore signs and symptoms of serious illness because:

a) They think (and hope) it's something else.
b) They're afraid to face the fact that they might have a deadly illness.

The Cost of Ignoring Lung Cancer Symptoms

It's sometimes seems easier to ignore a medical symptom than deal with it. It's common. People hope that with time it will just go away. Not acknowledging it makes it seem less real. But the nagging doubts in the pit of your stomach never quite go away, do they?

There are symptoms that should never be ignored, particularly:

Shortness of breath, Wheezing, Chest pain, A chronic cough, Hoarse voice, Repeated bouts of pneumonia and / or bronchitis, Coughing up blood.

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Lung Cancer Research and Treatment Developments

Are You Staying Abreast of Lung Cancer Research News?

Are you searching for the latest lung cancer research findings? Most everyone in the 21st century has been touched, in one way or another, by cancer.

Whether you've had a close family loss or near loss, have been exposed to toxins that are known carcinogens, have had a diagnosis, or have prevalence in your family that puts you at increased risk, you'll want to stay abreast of research as the subject will be near and dear to your heart.

It's important for everyone to stay abreast of news in the research for a cure for cancer.

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Lung Cancer Prevention and Reducing the Risk

Lung Cancer Prevention

Perhaps the best lung cancer prevention is to avoid tobacco. But this doesn't mean that a smoker, a previous smoker, or those exposed to a lot of second-hand smoke can't prevent lung cancer or fight it if it does choose to attack.

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Facts About Lung Cancer

If you have a strong family history of cancer, you'll also want to be sure to stay on top of any health issues so you can proactively work with your physician.

Any signs of cancer symptoms need to be investigated immediately as you know that early detection improves the chance of full recovery.

Changing your lifestyle before cancer is diagnosed could stop the diagnosis from ever coming. Changing your lifestyle the minute you have been diagnosed is not too late.

It's almost never too late to change the outcome of your health because there are things you can do to create an environment that's toxic to cancer cells instead of being toxic to you.

After a Diagnosis

In terms of what to do if you find out that you have been diagnosed with cancer, most people take time to absorb the information and (which will vary from person to person) and then they start to ask questions.

They want to know about their stage and treatment options. They want to know the best and worse case scenario in terms of prognosis. They also want to know what they can do to minimize the impact of side effects of drugs and treatment as well as what they can do to maximize the success of the treatments recommended by doctors.

Reading up on survival rates may or may not help you in terms of finding answers. However, searching for facts can help you get informed because the search for facts will also help you find out about complimentary cancer treatment options that can work in conjunction with your doctor's recommended treatment.

CancerFightingStrategies.com is a site that's dedicated to providing facts for men and women who have been diagnosed with cancer, for loved ones who are searching for alternative or complimentary treatments, and for people who want to prevent cancer before it strikes.

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Effects of Lung Cancer Treatment

Medical advancement combined with holistic healing can help you have a fighting chance at not only winning the battle but at getting through it much easier than someone who had been diagnosed even just a few years ago.

When people are told they need to have lung cancer treatment, such as radiation or chemotherapy, many are afraid of the side-effects, which could include: hair loss, appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, and trouble swallowing.

One of the most common and toughest side effects is the overwhelming fatigue. It can be tough to feel like you're truly fighting cancer when you are totally bereft of energy.

Cancer Fighting Strategies

CancerFightingStrategies.com is an excellent resource for obtaining information on strategies for increasing your chances of victory against cancer and one of the areas you'll find information on includes strategies for fighting the .

Learn strategies for coping with side effects of treatments though supplementation, essential oils, and energetics that contain powerful ingredients that will help your body facilitate positive change.

Get Educated

Get educated you so can work in conjunction with your physician. Know what to do to alleviate symptoms of the and the symptoms and effects of the disease itself. Then you can cope better, as well as increase your chances of winning the battle by creating an environment that helps your body fight back and get healthier. CancerFightingStrategies.com can help.

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Causes of Lung Cancer

Despite the fact that smoking feels like a comfort to some, the almost endless levels of toxins will hinder the upcoming fight of your life. Beyond lungs, the entire body is affected by toxins. You need to get your body in the best form possible so that you can be victorious over cancer.

CancerFightingStrategies.com shares information about various cancer strategies that can help you to: detoxify boost your immune system improve your body's oxygenation achieve an alkaline pH level, and reviews proven strategies that prevent cancer from gaining an unbreakable hold on your body.

Beyond doing the basics your doctor suggests, you need to do more and CancerFightingStrategies.com provides a wealth of helpful information to get you on the path toward wellness.

Education is vital in fighting disease and you'll find resources that will help you work with your physician and increase your chances. Rather than stewing about the culprit, it's vital that you shift your focus.

Focus on potential solutions rather than the probable so you can increase your chances of getting well again.

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Alternative Lung Cancer Treatment

Even if you're facing end stage cancer, it might not be too late. Just like the best chances for survival are early detection, the best chances for success with a treatment option is to give it as much time as possible to work -- if possible, before you're at end stages.

Cancer Treatment Options

Read on for some of the options you may want to consider at any stage:

Low oxygenation levels of cells can breed cancer. There are options that can help transport oxygen to your cells. pH levels in the acidic range create toxic environments. There are strategies to help you rapidly get to a more alkaline state. Cancer cells can not thrive in an alkaline state. Reduce toxic overload. If your body can't detoxify on its own it can lead to Cancer. Even when Cancer is already present, detoxification can aid the fight against those Cancer cells. Various parts of the body can be detoxified, such as the colon, and you can even strive for overall cellular detoxification. Candida is becoming increasingly blamed for cancer. Chronic fungal infections can contribute to the development of Cancer so it's important to work to reduce the growth of Candida Albicans in your body.

Yes, you should work closely with your physician in your fight against lung cancer, but you should also become as informed as possible so that you can talk to your doctor about alternative therapies that could help you even fight harder.

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A Cure for Lung Cancer? Get Strategies to Fight Cancer

The Quest for a Cure for Lung Cancer

The search for a cure for lung cancer seems like an endless journey.

If you're on that quest now, you may have information overload with all that you've learned, but that hasn't stopped you from fighting as hard as you can to learn of treatment options that could increase your chances of beating cancer.

The thing is... not every treatment method works exactly the same for every patient. There are so many different factors, such as: the type of lung cancer, the stage of the cancer, the lifestyle and other health factors present in the patient, etcetera.

Alternative Treatments...

The good news is that while there's never a good time to be diagnosed with cancer, there has never been a time with more promising treatments and more stories of miracles. Searching for that information can help you fight harder.

A cure for cancer, for you, might be a combination of treatments recommended by your physician but it might also include several alternative health therapies that are used in conjunction with that doctor recommended treatment.

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Metastatic Lung Cancer and Coping with Treatment

Metastatic Lung Cancer

Those who have been diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer have had cancer start somewhere else and then spread to the lungs.

Some believe that once they have metastatic cancer, the prognosis is never good but this, of course, depends on many factors. There are instances when cancer that has spread can still be cured or controlled.

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Types of Lung Cancer and theTreatment Options

Types of Lung Cancer

There are several types of lung cancer. Read on for some important information to help you get prepared for fighting lung cancer (or any other type of cancer) and learn about cancer prevention strategies.

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Lung Cancer, After Diagnosis

After a Lung Cancer Diagnosis...

After a lung cancer diagnosis and once the initial shock isn’t as dizzying as it was just after the news, it’s time to get serious about getting better.

While nothing can describe or prepare you for the upcoming emotional ride, you can grab the steering wheel by being knowledgeable and by participating in your own treatment.

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