Lung Cancer Treatment

Treatment decisions in lung cancer depend on whether SCLC or NSCLC is present. Treatment also depends on tumor stage, particularly in NSCLC. A person’s general physical condition (the ability to withstand treatment procedures) is also taken into account.

The most widely used therapies for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Read more…

Exams and Tests for Lung cancer

Exams and Tests

Upon hearing about the symptoms, a health-care provider will formulate a list of possible diagnoses. He or she will ask questions about the symptoms, medical and surgical history, smoking and work history, and other questions about lifestyle, overall health, and medications.

Unless severe hemoptysis is occurring, a chest x-ray will most likely be performed first to look for a cause of the respiratory symptoms.

• The x-ray film may or may not show an abnormality.
• Types of abnormalities seen in lung cancer include a small nodule or nodules or a large mass.
• Not all abnormalities observed on a chest x-ray are cancers. For example, some people develop scarring and calcium deposits in their lungs that may look like tumors on a chest x-ray film.

In most cases, a CT scan or MRI of the chest will further define the problem. Read more…

Lung cancer : When need to seek Medical care?

When to Seek Medical Care

See a health-care provider as soon as possible if any of the following develop:

• any symptom of lung cancer,
• new cough or change in an existing cough,
• hemoptysis (flecks of blood in the sputum when coughing),
• unexplained weight loss,
• unexplained persistent fatigue, or
• unexplained deep aches or pains.

Go immediately to the nearest hospital emergency department if any of the following occur: Read more…

Lung Cancer Causes

Cigarette smoking is the most important cause of lung cancer. Research as far back as the 1950s clearly established this relationship.

• Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which have been identified as causing cancer.
• A person who smokes more than one pack of cigarettes per day has a risk of developing lung cancer 20-25 times greater than someone who has never smoked.
• Once a person quits smoking, his or her risk for lung cancer gradually decreases. About 15 years after quitting, the risk for lung cancer decreases to the level of someone who never smoked.
• Cigar and pipe smoking increases the risk of lung cancer but not as much as smoking cigarettes.

About 90% of lung cancers arise due to tobacco use. The risk of developing lung cancer is related to the following factors: Read more…

Lung Cancer Overview

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both women and men in the United States and throughout the world. Lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. In the United States in 2007, 160,390 people were projected to die from lung cancer, which is more than the number of deaths from colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer combined. Only about 2% of those diagnosed with lung cancer that has spread to other areas of the body are alive five years after the diagnosis, although the survival rates for lung cancers diagnosed at a very early stage are higher, with approximately 49% surviving for five years or longer.

Cancer occurs when normal cells undergo a transformation that causes them to grow and multiply without the normal controls. The cells form a mass or tumor that differs from the surrounding tissues from which it arises. Tumors are dangerous because they take oxygen, nutrients, and space from healthy cells.

Most lung tumors are malignant. This means that they invade and destroy the healthy tissues around them and can spread throughout the body.

• The tumors can also spread to nearby lymph nodes or through the bloodstream to other organs. This process is called metastasis.
• Read more…

Lung cancer Symptoms

Lung cancer typically doesn’t cause signs and symptoms in its earliest stages. Signs and symptoms of lung cancer typically occur only when the disease is advanced.

Read more…

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