Lung cancer is the most frequently lethal cancer in the United States. Among all causes of death, lung cancer ranks second after heart disease for males, and third after heart and cerebrovascular disease for females. In 2002 alone, over 150,000 people in the United States died of lung cancer.
Cancers form when certain cells in the body grow and multiply in an uncontrolled fashion. When such uncontrolled growth affects lung tissues, a lung cancer forms. Lung cancer is classified into two main types- small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. An estimated 80 percent of lung cancer patients have non-small cell lung cancer.
Smoking or inhaling second hand smoke, environmental exposures such as asbestos and radon gas, and a family history of lung cancer increase the risk of an individual getting lung cancer. However, some lung cancers arise in the absence of these risk factors. Factors that may protect people from lung cancer are not smoking, avoiding second hand smoke, a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit, and limiting exposure to potential carcinogens in the environment such as radon.
About 25 percent of people with lung cancer report no symptoms at the time of diagnosis. In the remainder, symptoms and signs vary, and may include breathlessness, a long lasting cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, wheezing, repeated chest infections, fever, and weight loss. A diagnosis of lung cancer is made on the basis of cell type, x-ray findings and symptoms. The cancer is then staged depending on the extent of its spread within the chest cavity and to other parts of the body. Treatment of lung cancer depends on the cell type and on the stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis. Treatment typically includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Survival rates depend on the type and stage of lung cancer at the time of diagnosis.
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Small Cell Lung Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Between ten and twenty percent of all lung cancers are small cell lung cancers. They derive their name from the typical appearance of small, ‘oat’-like cancer cells under the microscope. This type of cancer is found almost exclusively in smokers or former smokers. Small cell...
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Lung Cancer Treatment
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The most commonly used treatments for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The exact treatment a lung cancer patient receives will depend on several factors. These include the type of cancer, the stage or extent to which it has spread at the time of...
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Lung Cancer Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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In approximately 25% of people with lung cancer, there are no symptoms and the cancer is detected during screening or a routine physical examination. However, in three-quarters of lung cancer patients there are warning symptoms and signs that can alert the patient or their physician....
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Lung Cancer Stages
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Cancers are staged depending on how far they have spread. Staging a cancer correctly is essential to select the most appropriate treatment option. A number of diagnostic tests, such as CT scans, MRIs, bronchoscopy, blood tests, bone scans, and biopsies are used to find out...
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Lung Cancer Survival Rate
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Several factors influence lung cancer survival rates. The type of cancer, the stage it is at when diagnosed, and the overall condition of the patient all play a role in determining survival. Cancer survival is usually expressed in terms of a five-year survival rate, which...
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Non Small Cell Lung Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Approximately 80 percent of people with lung cancer have non-small cell lung cancer. Depending on the type of cancer cell present, non-small cell cancer is in turn divided into several subtypes. Squamous cell carcinoma begins in thin, flat surface cells that line the respiratory tract,...
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Asbestos Lung Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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People with a history of asbestos exposure are about seven times more likely to die from lung cancer than those who are unexposed to asbestos. Asbestos exposure is associated with all types of lung cancer, and with a rare type of cancer called malignant mesothelioma,...
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Thyroid Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Thyroid cancer develops as a result of the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the thyroid gland, resulting in a tumor. Some of these tumors are benign or non cancerous while some are malignant or cancerous. The malignant tumors spread to the nearby tissues and...
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Clinical Mesothelioma Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Many people who have clinical symptoms of mesothelioma have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. This is because symptoms tend to present late in most cases. The majority of people have symptoms for only two or three months before a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma...
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Melanoma Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Melanoma is a skin disease where cancerous cells grow in the melanocytes, the cells that generate skin color. Melanoma is either known as malignant melanoma or cutaneous melanoma. Of all types of skin cancer plaguing mankind, melanoma is considered the most serious. The epidermis, or...