General Information on Lung Cancer

Lung cancer, or carcinoma of the lung, is one of the most common forms of cancer today. It is one of the most frequent causes of cancer-related mortality in the United States today. In the United States, another form of cancer that is becoming increasingly common is breast cancer, which is the development of malignant tissue in the breast. Breast cancer is seen mostly in women, though this does not mean that men are immune to it. A small percentage of men too contract breast cancer. The numbers are small, 1 man with breast cancer against a 100 women with it, but its there. However, there is one major difference between breast cancer and lung cancer. One can see the symptoms of breast cancer at an early stage, while in the case of lung cancer, the symptoms are not detected early, primarily because they match the symptoms of other lesser ailments. In this article, we will discuss lung cancer.

A person is said to suffer from lung cancer when a growth of malignant cancer cells is detected in the lungs. Depending on the stage at which lung cancer is detected, it can be classified as being in the:

• Early stages
• Mid-stages
• Advanced stages

Today, there is a vast amount of information on lung cancer available. Patients or relatives of patients can access information over the Internet, which has an almost limitless number of websites dedicated to different aspects of lung cancer – types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, etc. For example, if you are from the United Kingdom and want to research information on lung cancer treatment, facilities, etc in your country, you can simply log onto the website of Cancer Research UK, UK’s leading cancer charity, and collect whatever information you want from their site.

Earlier on, treatment of lung cancer was not an easy thing to do, owing to the huge amount of expenses in the form of medical bills, hospital stays fees, etc. However, nowadays with the availability of insurance, things have become easier. Lung cancer insurance is available easily, as is insurance covering other forms of cancer.

Types of Lung Cancer

Two main types of lung cancer exist today. Both of these are seen in the epithelial cells of the lungs. They are:

• Small cell lung cancer (SLCC)
• Non-small cell lung cancer

There is another type, called mixed small cell/large cell lung cancer. In this type you can find both kinds of cells in the cancerous tissue.

Besides these two types, there is another form of cancer of the lung area, called mesothelioma or mesothelioma cancer or cancer of the mesothelium. However, this is not considered a primary form of lung cancer, as its target area is not the lobes of the lung, but the pleural membrane covering the lung.

Small Cell Lung Cancer
This is the rarer of the two basic forms of lung cancer. One out of every five lung cancer patients suffer from small cell lung cancer.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer, or non-small lung cancer, is the more common of the two basic forms of lung cancer. Four out of five lung cancer patients suffer from this type of cancer.

Based on the cell type/area in which the carcinogenic cells proliferate in the lungs, non-small cell lung cancer is further categorized into three types. They are:

• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma
• Large Cell Carcinoma
• Bronchioalveolar Carcinoma (BAC)

Squamous Cell Carcinoma
This is the most common type of lung cancer. It occurs in the cells lining the airways inside the lungs. This form of cancer occurs mostly due to nicotine ingestion through smoking.

Adenocarcinoma
This form of cancer is seen in the mucus cells within the airways in the lung.

Large Cell Carcinoma
This is also called undifferentiated lung cancer. In large cell carcinoma, the proliferating cells are round and much larger than the cells seen in adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

Bronchioalveolar Carcinoma (BAC)
This form of cancer is seen in the bronchioalveolar region of the lung.

What Causes Lung Cancer?

The main cause of lung cancer is exposure to tobacco. This is primarily through smoking. About 80% of lung cancer patients are smokers. Smokers may be cigarette smokers, cigar smokers, or pipe smokers; it doesn’t matter. The risk of contracting lung cancer is equal in all the three cases.

A person may inhale smoke directly. A person can also inhale smoke passively or involuntarily. This smoke is also called secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is of two types:

• Mainstream – This is the smoke exhaled by the smoker, and amounts to more than 50% of all secondhand smoke.
• Sidestream – This is the smoke emanating from the burning end of a cigarette/cigar/pipe/hookah.

Passive smokers too stand a high chance of contracting lung cancer. The chances of passive/secondary smokers contracting lung cancer is 30% higher than people who do not inhale smoke either actively or passively.

However, there have been instances of even total non-smokers suffering from lung cancer. This indicates that smoking is not the only cause for lung cancer. It is the primary cause, yes, but not definitely the only cause. The following are some of the other causes of lung cancer:

• Air pollution
• Inhalation of asbestos fibers
• Exposure to radon, a radioactive substance formed by breaking down uranium
• Inhalation of marijuana fumes by smoking
• Exposure of the chest area to radiation therapy during cancer treatment
• Hereditary reasons
• Presence of arsenic in drinking water
• Diet with low fruit and vegetable content (this increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers)

A combination of exposure to tobacco along with any of these causes greatly increases the chances of a person contracting lung cancer.

Lung Cancer Symptoms

The following are some of the common symptoms of lung cancer. They do not usually manifest in the early stages. Even if they do, they are usually mistaken for some other ailment. These symptoms are:

• Persistent coughing
• Reddish or muddy brown spit
• Loss of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Persistent or repetitive infections of the bronchial tract
• Hoarseness of voice
• Renewed wheezing

In its later advanced stages, when the lung cancer is said to be in metastasis, the symptoms are:

• Numbness in the arms or legs
• A jaundiced appearance
• Tumorous growths near the skin surface
• Seizures
• Bone pain
• Dizziness

Lung Cancer Detection and Diagnosis

It is very rare to be able to detect lung cancer in its early stages. There are no specific symptoms of early stages of lung cancer. This is one of the reasons why lung cancer is usually detected in its later stages.

The use of a proper screening technique would greatly increase the chances of early lung cancer detection. However, there is no such proper and totally effective screening technique yet. Research is on to see if one can be formulated soon. As of now, a new technique called spiral CT seems to be the best option for early detection.

Once lung cancer is detected, the next step is to determine the stage it is in. This is done using the AJCC system. Roman numerals are used to mark the different stages of lung cancer, numerals from 0 to IV. Sometimes the stages are further divided into substages, using denotations A and B. The general rule of thumb is that the lower the denomination, the less serious the condition.

Lung Cancer Treatment

Lung cancer treatment options are usually the same as prostate cancer treatment options or colon cancer treatment options. What I mean is that all forms of cancer have the same treatment options. However, lung cancer tests may be different from colon cancer tests. The standard treatment options for lung cancer are:

• Surgery
• Radiation Therapy
• Chemotherapy

What matters is the combination of methods being used. The more serious the cancer, the more chances that different treatment options will be used in tandem, or one after the other.

References

• aacr.org
• www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/colon-and-rectal
• cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Lung/General/Typesoflungcancer
• cancer.org
• lungcanceronline.org

The writer does freelance writing work. Primary areas are keyword-rich articles (especially in healthcare, insurance, credit), creative writing, blogposts, etc.

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Tags: breast cancer, cancer patient, cancer treatment, chemotherapy, colon cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, prostate cancer

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If you have heard rumors that your Teflon pans will give you cancer, relax. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid, a suspected carcinogen) is used to manufacture Teflon, but there is none present in the finished products. While the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rightfully concerned about PFOA in the environment, you can continue to use your Teflon-lined pans without fear.

However, non-stick pans may release other toxic particles if they are used at very high heats, so they are not appropriate for deep-fat frying, broiling, grilling or similar high- temperature cooking methods. I recommend avoiding this type of cooking anyway, because high heat and browning can form carcinogens in foods regardless of the type of cookware you use.

Browning foods that contain starches or sugars causes sugars to stick to protein to form advanced glycated end products, also known as AGEs. Burning fat when you grill or broil meats or other foods causes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s). Bothe AGEs and PAHs are potent known carcinogens. When you use water-based cooking methods, (steaming, simmering or boiling) that do not involve browning, you do not form AGEs or PAHs. That’s why the most healthful foods are those that are prepared with liquids or eaten raw.

Read my drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at drmirkin.com DrMirkin.com

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For many men prostate problems represent nothing more than a mere inconvenience and just another one of those things that we all have to put up with as we get older. To others however they represent a truly life threatening condition.

Prostate problems fall into two broad categories – a benign enlarged prostate and prostate cancer and, for many men, the real problem is that one often hides the other.

An enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH) is a very common condition indeed that will affect the majority of men as they pass through their 50s and 60s and beyond. A benign condition that is confined to the prostate gland, an enlarged prostate will cause a variety of problem with urination but these are often quite mild and many men simply choose to live with them. If symptoms do become troublesome then often medication will do the trick and, if all else fails, there is a range of minimally invasive procedures with few risks or complications that can be brought into play to solve the problem.

Prostate cancer on the other hand is a very different kettle of fish. In its early stages prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland and can be very effectively treated. However, as the disease progresses cancer spreads into the surrounding tissue, organs and bone of the abdominal region and can then be carried through the lymphatic system to just about any and all areas of the body. Once prostate cancer starts to spread treatment becomes increasingly difficult and it is often a case of simply trying to arrest or slow the spread of prostate cancer rather than trying to eradicate it.

Prostate cancer kills thousands of men every year despite the fact that it can be very effectively treated if caught in its early stages. So just why is it such a killer?

Unfortunately because so many men suffer from an enlarged prostate, and know that it is a benign condition which they are often half expecting, they don’t worry when the symptoms first appear and simply soldier on, not thinking to bother their doctor. After all they reason, the doctor will only tell them what they already know and advise them to live with it and come back again if the symptoms become so bad that they feel that they need treatment.

In some cases however the problem creating the symptoms may well be an enlarged prostate but, alongside this, prostate cancer could well be developing. Waiting until an enlarged prostate requires treatment may well mean that it is too late to easily treat an often now quite advanced case of prostate cancer.

The answer of course is simple. If you start to develop the symptoms of an enlarged prostate then pop along and see your doctor. He’ll run a few tests and may tell you that you indeed have an enlarged prostate and not to worry. But, if you are developing prostate cancer he’ll tell you that too and, more importantly, he’ll be able to offer you treatment now when it will do you some good.

Prostate problems are more often than not nothing to worry about, but why take the risk.

Please visit ProstateCancerExplained.com for further information on prostatecancerexplained.com/prostate-symptoms.html” target=”_blank prostate problems and to learn more about prostate cancer and finding a prostatecancerexplained.com” target=”_blank prostate cancer cure

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Leukemia is the blood cancer form and originates in a malfunctioning bone marrow that tends to produce abnormal red and white cells in an increased rate. The most important four types of Leukemia are the acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia and the acute and chronic lymphocytic Leukemia. The name of the condition stands for the cell type involved.

The acute type of leukemia develops with an increased production of abnormal white cells making the body unable to fight infections; red blood cells and platelets are insufficient and the organism suffers from bruising, bleedings and anemia. Chronic forms of Leukemia are not as aggressive as they give the normal cells time to regenerate.

About 25000 new equal cases of acute and chronic Leukemia appear every ear. Most cases appear in adults and persons over 60 years but the acute lymphocytic Leukemia has an increased rate in children. Annually, about 10000 cases in adults are diagnosed as acute myelogenic Leukemia, 8000 are chronic lymphocytic Leukemia, 500 are chronic myelogenous forms and about 3500 are acute forms of lymphocytic Leukemia. The rest of the cases are unclassified blood cancer types.

All types of Leukemia are most commonly encountered in men than in women. Men subjects cover about 56% of all Leukemia new cases in a year. Americans with European descent seem to be more affected by cancer than those with African origins; about 131000 new cases of cancer are detected in African Americans every year but most of them are not related to blood cancers.

Americans with Indian or Hispanic origins are far more affected by Leukemia than African Americans and about 50% of the cases are encountered in male subjects. Elderly persons are most highly affected inside all populations.
Minority groups like Caucasians are more affected by Leukemia forms than other ethnic groups like Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. European descent children show increased rate of susceptibility compared to African American children.

Most of the new occurred cases of cancer in children below 15 are of Leukemia. About 2500 new cases of acute forms of lymphocytic leukemia are identified in the USA annually and it tends to be the most encountered form of cancer in children. High percents of the cases occur in children aged 3-4 and less in infants or 19 years old patients. In the last 25 years the chance of cure in specialized centers has increased due to new therapy methods.

People over 40 and older persons are more touched by acute myelogenous Leukemia and the secondary Leukemia type found in adults is chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

For greater resources about leukemia-guide.com/ Leukemia please visit these pages leukemia-guide.com/childhood-leukemia.htm leukemia-guide.com/childhood-leukemia.htm or leukemia-guide.com/leukemia-symptoms.htm leukemia-guide.com/leukemia-symptoms.htm

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