Lung Cancer

Avastin for lung cancer

lungcancer — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:25:41 +0000

Avastin is a drug used in chemotherapy that has only recently been approved by the FDA. In fact it is the first anti-angiogenesis therapy approved by the Food and Drug Association for the treating advanced stages of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and kidney cancer. These cancers together account for about 3 million deaths every year. With more than 500,000 patients having been treated with it, Avastin has been reported to be quite effective against these types of tumors and clinical trials are working around the country to improve its effect and minimize side-effects.

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It is quite predictable that Avastin can have numerous and severe side-effects, though these are outweighed by its ability to control tumor growth and metastases. It works as an antibody that blocks the vascular endothelial growth factor, which is known to stimulate development of blood vessels that feed the tumor, a process also called angiogenesis.

In the case of non-small cell lung cancer, Avastin can be combined with carboplatin and paclitaxel and become a first-line treatment of patients with advanced lung cancer, which is unresectable, recurrent or metastatic.

Let’s now return to Avastin’s side-effects since it can rarely even result in the development of a severe side-effect called gastrointestinal perforation. This consists in the development of a hole in the stomach and can be fatal. Symptoms that can warn you about it include fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and constipation.

Avastin treatment can also cause slow and incomplete healing of your surgical wounds and this can lead to infections. The recommendation is not to take Avastin in the first month after surgery. Fatal bleeding can also result from poor administration of Avastin. Coughing up blood, bleeding in the stomach and nosebleeds can occur so if you already have such symptoms don’t take Avastin.

However, side effects most commonly occur in more than 10% of the patients and include nosebleeds, headache, high blood pressure, inflammation of the nose, taste change, dry skin, rectal bleeding and back pain.

Since bleeding and even fatal hemoptysis are risks that comes with taking Avastin, patients with large tumors, squamous cell lung cancer and hemoptysis are not indicated to be treated with Avastin. It is also not recommended for patients with CNS metastases due to the risk od hemorrhage. This contraindications add up to as much as 45% of lung cancer patients who are not eligible for Avastin treatments.

However, there is now a better alternative to Avastin and it is called Erbitux. This drug is said to have the same impact as Avastin on the tumor but without all the disastrous side-effects Avastin has on our body. Ask your doctor for more information about these drugs and always ask for second opinions as not all doctors are up to date with all recent advances in chemo drugs.

Emphysema and lung cancer

lungcancer — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:18:28 +0000

Emphysema is a condition through which lung tissue is destroyed and obstructs air flow and the development of enlarged air sacs. This disease is almost ten times more common than lung cancer though obviously not as deadly. About 1,600,000 patients have been diagnosed with this disease in the US alone in one year. Most patients with lung cancer have also been diagnosed with emphysema.

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This is also an affection most commonly linked with smoking as 75% of all cases occur in smokers. This gradual obstruction of the airways requires you to use more energy for ventilating your lungs. Symptoms that can be experienced include shortness of breath and a limited ability to exercise. Alongside, chronic bronchitis, emphysema reduces the patient’s chances of safely recovering from lung cancer treatments like surgical interventions and radiation therapy. They also have difficulty with coughing out secretions and clearing the airways and also in breathing to the point that respiratory failure and even death can occur.

This kind of destruction of the lung’s tissue is brought about or amplified by smoking, which has been proven to make all people mush more vulnerable to lung cancer in particular but also cancer in general, as it can seriously harm the immune system.

Specialized tests and diagnosing emphysema is essential, as results from these tests and information about the patient’s medical history and medical examination can help the surgeon to predict and establish the risks and the impact or surgical procedures on the body and the cancer. This enables the oncologist to predict whether you risk to have a disability as a result of the surgery.

You must know that there is also another cause for developing emphysema, apart from smoking. This abnormal increase of the airspaces distal to the last bronchiole is also caused by a genetical predisposition, particularly an enzyme deficiency that is estimated to be present in between five thousand and ten thousand Americans. The treatment most commonly associated with emphysema, though tests and trials have yet to prove its safety and effectiveness, is the lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS). This has stimulated a lot of debates especially since there’s a close battle between indications and contraindications of surgery in the early stages of lung cancer.

Research goes on and there’s always significant variation with every individual case so it would be better to consult your oncologist for an accurate prognosis and treatment plan.

Unfortunately, emphysema is not something you can easily live with as half of the patients with emphysema complain about the limitation this affection brings in their daily activities. Your best chance against it is close monitoring of your health, detecting the inherited predisposition on time and, of course, choosing not to smoke.

Asparagus and lung cancer

lungcancer — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:55:50 +0000

Lung cancer is the type of cancer associated with the highest death rate and more and more people are becoming aware about the risks of developing it. Simple lifestyle choices can help keep you safe from this type of cancer, not to mention an overall benefit for your organism. After all, we mustn’t obsess about lung cancer and forget there are other risks out there too.

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Lung cancer can be prevented in a lot of ways including monitoring your health and taking periodical x-rays. If you know more risk factors that can lead to lung cancer are present in your life, you should definitely not underestimate this disease and consider all possibilities when you notice any changes in your general condition. If you are a smoker you should know that any change in your cough can be a symptom of lung cancer.

There are many ways in which you can protect yourself against cancer and a lot of conventional and alternative treatments you can choose from, though you should never trade standard treatment for unconventional one, which is mainly adjuvant, complementary.

Another way in which you can fight off lung cancer is nutrition. Nutrition is a also a great complementary treatment but certainly cannot replace any standard treatments for lung cancer. Nutrition consists of daily dietary habits but also supplements you can take, like herbal supplements.

Asparagus is a fruit that has been linked with curing cancer, though this has not been scientifically proven. However, more and more cancer patients claim to have great success with standard treatment is they supplement it with asparagus consumption.

Recently, it has been reported and confirmed by the National Cancer Institute that asparagus is, out of all the foods tested for cancer research, the one that contains the highest levels of glutathione, a potent cancer fighter in the human body. There are also additional benefits to eating asparagus on a regular basis including the fact that it strengthens the blood vessels and it protects the heart. It’s also very low in calories, low in sodium and high in potassium. Other active substances we can get out of it are vitamin C, vitamin B6 and folic acid.

Recently, more and more rumors are spreading around claiming that asparagus can actually cure cancer and make it treatable and curable even after it is declared incurable by an oncologist. This is a bold claim but there’s actually an article going around and dating back to 1979 about how asparagus has the potential power to cure cancer. Since then many specialist have decided to research it some more and many cases have been collected of patients who were diagnosed with terminal cancer and followed an asparagus therapy. In five months his cancer supposedly disappeared. There are other such examples available on the internet and this matter is definitely worth some investigation but doctors tell us not to get our hopes up too high.

This article, though spread around the world and translated in other languages, has not been proven to actually be from an authorized source and doctors have been treating it with a lot of disbelief. Though it shouldn’t make us think asparagus can cure cancer, it can surely confirm that a proper diet and the right foods can be very helpful in fighting cancer.

Paranoia about lung cancer

lungcancer — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:52:11 +0000

Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer out there and more and more campaigns have been trying to make people well aware of the risks of developing it, especially those around smoking. Statistics show that it is true that smoking can cause lung cancer but it is also true that you can develop this disease even if you’ve never smoked in your life. More and more research point to other causes and risk factors for developing lung cancer, including gene predispositions and exposure to asbestos or radon.

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However, people have already been inoculated the idea that smoking is just as deadly as lung cancer. Though it really is a real danger of modern life, we should all know all facets of the problem and it is not fair that most smokers now have to live in constant fear. Smoking is addictive and it’s already something many people are struggling to quit and have enough difficulty with this not to need anymore paranoid thoughts about dying before succeeding to quit.

Many people are actually worried today about developing paranoia about having lung cancer as such an mania would really affect their way of looking at life. In medical terms paranoia is the suspicion that other people are trying to do us harm but in day-to-day living it can also mean that people develop certain obsessive fears without any real evidence. This is similar to anxiety and depression so people’s efforts to keep it away from their minds is highly justified.

The best way to prevent the onset of such a way of thinking is by researching the issue of lung cancer more thoroughly and seeing for yourself that things are not less grim but are definitely more complex than campaigns portray them to be. Lung cancer is indeed the deadliest cancer and smoking has indeed been linked to 90% of the cases but smoking alone couldn’t cause it. If you are aware of the risk you’re taking you can start to make other lifestyle options that can balance out the bad effect of smoking in your life. Cutting on cigarettes and taking supplements to boost your immune system are just some things you can start doing to keep safe from lung cancer.

You should also make sure you go further than information on symptoms and causes as these can feed your paranoid thoughts. It might also help not to devote too much time to studying this cancer and you should definitely not let this disrupt your daily routine or your sleep. Talk to friends and a doctor if you have such fears and don’t let them amplify by keeping them for yourself. Other friends might have the same fears and relating to them can help you treat it more lightly.

Back pain as a symptom for lung cancer

lungcancer — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:32:27 +0000

Lung cancer is a type of cancer that is most likely to be diagnosed later in its development. This is one of the reasons why it is the form of cancer with the highest death rates. Since it is usually asymptomatic in its earlier stages, it is only after we see the first signs that we consult a doctor and by that time the cancer is likely to have become invasive and limit the treatment options considerably.
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If you know you are exposed to more lung cancer risk factors you should attentively monitor your health and go through medical examinations on a regular basis. Being aware of certain symptoms that people don’t usually associate with lung cancer but can be related to it is also very important in preventing the development of the cancer.

Some testimonials of lung cancer patients have claimed that back pain is one of the early signs of lung cancer. This symptom is a dangerous one because it can very easily be dismissed as being caused by something else, like age or effort, when in fact it is a result of cancer forming in the lungs. Many patients have claimed to have felt such pain for a long time before the cancer’s onset.

Shoulder and upper back pain is just one of the symptoms people usually don’t take notice of. Other such symptoms are swelling of the face and neck, frequent pneumonia and male breast development.

Immediately when you feel the slightest discomfort or pain in the back, you should consult a physician. You might not have anything to worry about but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If the pain is indeed a sign of lung cancer you are still among the lucky ones to have detected the disease early. This will give you much greater chances of curing the disease. You might have back pain from coughing, in which case this is a secondary symptom and you should have already considered lung cancer given the presence of persistent cough. Persistent shoulder or back pain unrelated with coughing can also occur, like stated above. This can be an early sign but, particularly shoulder pain, can occur once the cancer has spread to the nerves and this pain is most likely to go down from the shoulders all the way to the outside of the arm. This condition is also called Pancoast Syndrome.

No type of pain should ever go untreated and by this I mean that the cause should also be determined before just numbing it with pain killers or other drugs. Taking any type of back pain seriously can actually save your life if it is an early symptom for lung cancer

Asbestos and lung cancer

lungcancer — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:19:16 +0000

Lung cancer is the type of cancer that has the highest death rate of all cancers. Though it can be prevented or you can aid your body’s struggle with it by opting for a generally healthy lifestyle, there are still several risk factors involved which can lead to lung cancer in otherwise healthy individuals. Such risk factors include exposure to radon and asbestos and, in this case, even people who have never smoked in their lives can be susceptible to developing lung cancer. More and more studies are confirming the link between asbestos and lung cancer. Workers exposed to asbestos show increasing rates of incidence of lung cancer. Smoking also brings more harm to the matter since an increase in the risk of developing lung cancer is present among asbestos exposed workers who smoke.
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Asbestos is what people call a group of minerals that occur naturally in the environment as fibers that can be separated into thin, string threads. Thse fibers are resistant to heat, fire and chemicals. They also don’t conduct electricity and this is one of the reasons why it is used in many industries.

The main affection connected with asbestos is mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer that occurs in the lining of the lung but also in the heart or the abdomen. However, asbestos can also lead to other thoracic carcinomas such as adenocarcinoma. In total, between 3,400 and 8,500 of lung cancers diagnosed every year can be accounted for by asbestos. In most cases, cancer is preceeded by asbestosis. However, this scarring of the lung tissue is not present in all cases and it therefore doesn’t help to much in diagnosing the cancer and determining a pathology for it.

Unfortunately, asbestos lung cancer is likely to be asymptomatic in its earlier stages. However, in about 15% of the cases some symptoms that may be present include: persistent cough, hoarseness, weight loss and a bloody sputum. Confirmation of the disease can be made after a physical examination and a specialized test. Tests you can take to diagnose and stage the cancer include more types of biopsies like bronchoscopy, needle aspiration, thoracentesis, thoracotomy and mediastinoscopy.

Treatments that are available are the same as for any type of lung cancer and depend more on the stage of the cancer than on the type or location. Treatment can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy as well as other complementary treatments.

You must be aware of the risks involved with exposure to asbestos and you should be aware if you are working in an environment where you should worry about this. You shouldn’t underestimate these risks as you might think everything is all right and that you’re fine but even after you retire, you can still one day be diagnosed with cancer, as malignant mesothelioma can usually take even 30 years to develop after exposure to asbestos.

Bronchoalveolar lung cancer

lungcancer — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:10:15 +0000

Lung cancer is a very complex type of cancer, as most cancers are in fact, mainly because of the fact that it can take more forms and require different treatments for each of its stages and types. Diagnosing and accurately staging the cancer is essential. There are two main types of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, the last one being the most common one. These can also be further divided into subtypes. Non-small cell lung cancer includes squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell lung cancer.
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Bronchoalveolar lung cancer is a type of non-small lung cancer, also referred to as a subtype of adenocarcinoma. Its name obviously comes from the bronchi. These are the passageways in which the trachea splits when it reaches the lungs. The bronchi also divide into smaller tubes called bronchioles which end in tiny sacks of air called alveoli, this being where the exchange of gasses between the lung and the blood occurs. Just like all cancers, lung cancer develops when cells begin to grow and divide out of control. Bronchoalveolar lung cancer usually start in the lungs and spreads along the membranes that separate the alveoli.

Adenocarcinoma is a frequent type of lung cancer and it actually accounts for 40% of all lung cancers, and the number of cancers attributed to carcinoma is increasing with every year. The death rates for this type of lung cancer can range between 2% and 14%. Curiously enough, bronchoalveolar lung cancer is the most common one among people who don’t smoke. This makes it especially difficult to determine its causes. However, the symptoms are line for the other forms of lung cancer. Unfortunately, this type too does not show any significant symptoms before already reaching a very advances stage.

Diagnosing it is done just as for the other types of lung cancer and the process starts with a x-ray and moves on to other specialized imaging tests like CT scan and MRI. Ultrasound and PET scans are also recommended sometimes. The final test, meant to confirm or rule out lung cancer once and for all is the biopsy.

The treatment and management plan for this type of cancer is also very complicated because it varies from stage to stage. Stage 1 is treated through surgery and the 5-year survival rate is 75%. Surgery at this stage is meant to remove the infected lobe or just a part of the lobe, most of the time being enough to remove the cancer completely.

By the last stage, surgery is not only useless but the cancer is actually often enough considered to be incurable, with a 5 year survival rate of only 2%.

Clinical trials are also a very good option for most but apart from giving people hope and a reason to prolong their life, they haven’t been so successful for terminal cancers so far.

A list of herbal treatments for lung cancer

lungcancer — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:04:42 +0000

Lung cancer is the type of cancer that kills most people on a yearly basis. If we were to begin preventing diseases instead of just dealing with them as they come along, most of us would probably start with lung cancer. A first step in preventing it would definitely be not smoking. Smoking, though natural for the most part, not only contains cancerous substances but also weakens the immune system thus making you much more vulnerable to cancer.
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The best way in which we can hope to prevent lung cancer as well as to keep an overall good state of health would be to to supplement our diet with various plants and vitamins that have been proven to aid in the fight against diseases like lung cancer. Herbs are most commonly the first thing we resort to and there is a lot of information out there about herbs that can help in fighting cancer. Generally, these are effective in strengthening the body and “oil” it in order to function smoothly. Herbal, just like medicine, is best taken after consulting a specialist. Though they are no doubt the safest option of treatment, they might be useless for what you want to use them is you are not properly diagnosed and set on a certain medical treatment plan before. Herbs can come in more forms than that in which they can be found in nature. For example they can be administered as dried extracts like capsules, powders, teas or like glycerites (glycerine extracts). They can also come as tinctures, like for example alcohol extracts.

There are many lists of herbal support treatments available and you can find them in the category known as alternative treatment for cancer. An example of a herbal supplement that can help in the battle against lung cancer is the highly accessible green tea, also known as Camelia Sinensis. This can be prepared from 250-300 mg and drunk for its antioxidant, anticancer effects as well as for its ability to boost the immune system. Another ingredient that cannot be forgotten from any herbal list is the reishi mushroom. This can be taken two or three times a day and it is a powerful anti-cancer herb. The olive leaf is another natural product that can do wonders for your immune system and for inhibiting the development of cancerous cells. This can be taken also as a tincture and a specialist is recommended to help you establish the necessary dosage. To add to these, you can also get your hands on some milk thistle which is a powerful detoxifier. Last but not least, fermented wheat germ extract is a must and goes great with your favorite beverage for at least once a day.

This list of herbal treatment is recommended as complementary treatment and no doctor actually recommends patients to replace standard treatments with alternative ones.

Lung cancer facts

lungcancer — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:06:22 +0000

Lung cancer has attracted a lot of attention in recent years and more and more posts try to resume it through warnings against smoking and if it was before dismissed as one of the least worrying aspects of our lives today people are growing more paranoid about it than it is justified. Neither version is correct and we should always take a step back and try to see things as they are and not as they are revealed to us from one source or another. The best way of keeping a balanced perspective over things like lung cancer is by being informed from more sources about mostly objective facts.
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Especially if you aren’t a smoker or even if you’ve never been confronted with the tragedy of lung cancer there are still some facts you ought to know about lung cancer, about how you can develop it and about how you can detect it on time. Statistics can also help you get a better picture about the present amplitude of lung cancer.

The first fact you need to know is that smoking is indeed the main risk factor involved with lung cancer. That’s not to say that if you’ve never smoked you’re safe but you are definitely more likely to get it if you do smoke. Your immune system is also affected by smoking and you’ll have a hard time dealing with infections like pneumonia and bronchitis which are symptoms of lung cancer. Other symptoms of lung cancer that can clue you in on whether it’s time for a new appointment with your doctor include: chest pain, difficulty breathing, wheeziness, hoarseness and a persistent cough.

Here are some facts to help you see that lung cancer is an issue that’s effecting entire communities and it is usually just a matter of time before you’re confronted with it yourself, in a loved one or just an acquaintance.

Supposedly, every two minutes somebody in the world is diagnosed with it and 30% of all cancer mortality is accounted for by lung cancer. This would imply that lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver ans kidney cancer combined. As incredible as this sounds, it’s a fact and you can research it yourself. Each year, in USA alone more people who have never smoked in their lives die from lung cancer than from AIDS. Approximately 220,000 Americans were diagnosed with lung cancer last year out of which 160,000 died. It’s also considered a modern epidemic in women, killing more women than breast cancer, almost two times as many.

Periodical x-rays and constant monitoring of our health state, especially if risk factors for lung cancer are present in our lives, are essential and can be very successful in preventing the onset of lung cancer. Now that you are more familiar with the subject what would you conclude by looking at your own life and healht state? Being self-reflexive is essential after anything new that your read about.

http://i-lungcancer.com/category/lung-cancer/

http://www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org/index.cfm?page=lung_cancer_facts_US

http://jglcf.org/lungcancer.aspx

Difficulty breathing and diagnosing lung cancer early

lungcancer — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:00:23 +0000

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer out there and you shouldn’t underestimate any risk factors that could lead to it or dismiss any symptoms that might may give rise to suspicions of lung cancer. Your best chance to keep safe from it is to have a healthy lifestyle and, if possible, choose not to be a smoker or reduce the daily number of cigarettes to a minimum. Unfortunately, there are also other risk factors involved with developing lung cancer such as certain gene predispositions you can have no control over.
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Even so, if you monitor your health state carefully and consistently and if you immediately react to any changes or signs of an affection by going in for a medical examination. Periodical chest x-rays can also give you a good chance for diagnosing the cancer early and giving yourself the best chance for overcoming the cancer. You are more likely to cure lung cancer through early diagnosis than by undergoing the best treatment in later stages. If the cancer is already invasive it is much more dangerous and treatment is likely to take invasive forms and significantly disrupt your life during the treatment but also on a long term basis.

Detecting and appropriately reacting to signs and symptoms of lung cancer is vital. Symptoms of lung cancer can include: a chronic or persistent cough, wheeziness, hoarseness, chest pain, back pains, difficulty breathing, common infections like pneumonia and bronchitis, weight loss and fatigue. A first sign that you might be tented to quickly dismiss is shortness of breath with activity. Many people dismiss is as a poor physical condition due to sedentary habits. However, if you are a smoker and you are aware of the risks to which you are exposed by smoking. Ironically enough you can sometimes dismiss difficulty breathing with effort as side-effects from smoking. Everybody has heard or said at least once: “It’s just from smoking.”, as if this makes it normal.

There are many dangers to taking such things lightly as by the time they become unbearable, the cancer is already invasive and maybe even too advanced for surgery. Other thing shortness of breath can be blamed on include old age, extra pounds but your first concern should be ruling out lung cancer. This symptom can also seriously disrupt your life and limit your activity even before you decide to go in for a check. People who suffer from it but prefer to adapt to its limitations simply refrain from any effort such as hiking or traveling or even exercising. How much until they will also refrain from sexual activity which can make them very tired, before seeing it as a signal of alarm?

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/lung_cancer/page3_em.htm

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

http://i-lungcancer.com/category/symptoms/