Lung Cancer Chemotherapy

Archive for July, 2008

Asbestos is the biggest work place killer today. Those who have worked with asbestos or who are regularly in contact with someone who has are at risk from asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. All these are fatal respiratory diseases which are extremely difficult to cure. Research is being carried out in various research labs all over the USA and many pharmaceutical companies are also endeavouring to find new drugs and treatment methods.One rare disease caused by asbestos which is becoming increasingly common is mesothelioma. Although unknown by many today, it is almost certain that awareness of this disease will be broadcasted worldwide because of its increasing occurrence in men aged between 55 and 70. Many of these men are now lodging multi million dollar lawsuits against the companies who subjected them to asbestos. Those most at risk from mesothelioma are those who have been in regular contact with asbestos dust and fibres without sufficient protection. Just a couple of months of exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma 30 years later. The latency period (amount of time the disease takes to start taking effect) of mesothelioma is 30 - 50 years which is one of the reasons it is so ...

The early symptoms of lung cancer resemble the symptoms of other common illnesses. As such, it can be difficult to diagnose lung cancer until it is too late. Also confounding the problem, at least 25 percent of the people that are diagnosed with lung cancer have no symptoms at all.Therefore, when you get a physical exam, the doctor typically checks the potential lung cancer symptoms against the patient background and considers the age, occupational exposure, family history and smoking history to determine if the symptoms are actually the result of lung cancer.For example, an 18 female who does not smoke probably does not have lung cancer, whereas a 60 year male who smoked for 40 years might be suffering from lung cancer.The first symptom that most people notice is a persistent cough, and it is noted about 80 percent of the time that people have symptoms. Many people refer to this as the smokers cough. Lung cancer affects the cells lining the airways, and the nerve endings in the airways detect any foreign substance and try to dislodge it in an effort to keep the airways clean. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer who never complain of coughing most likely have ...

Lung cancer is tumor arising from cells lining the airways of the respiratory system. Adenocarcinoma of the lung is one of the major kinds of cancers of lung, accounting for 32% of all cases of the disease. It arises from the secretory cells found in the epithelium lining the bronchi.The progression of adenocarcinoma is fairly unpredictable. In nearly all cases, adenocarcinoma spreads slowly and leads to very few lung cancer symptoms. But it can also be very invasive, aggressively spreading by way of the body and causing fatality before it can be treated.Its symptoms may consist of shortness of breath, the coughing up of blood, chest pains, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss. Adenocarcinoma is typically treated with lung cancer surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.From the 1950s, the occurrence of lung adenocarcinoma started to rise relative to other kinds of lung cancer. This is partially because of the introduction of filter cigarettes. The usage of filters removes larger particles from tobacco smoke, hence reducing deposition in larger airways.Most of this kind of cancer is found in smokers. However, it is the most common type of cancer of lung seen in nonsmokers as well. It is most frequent seen in women and ...