Lung Cancer Chemotherapy

Archive for March, 2010

The picture of lung disease is that of no hope. Lung cancer affects millions of Americans and others around the world. Understanding the symptoms, treatments, causes such as smoking, and signs will help to increase awareness of this debilitating lung disease. This section of the website is devoted to helping to promote awareness of this disease.Just what is Lung cancer? It's a condition in which cancerous cells grow uncontrollably and reproduce cause devastating effects on the lungs. Healthy cells are replaced by abnormal cells that turn into tumors that destroy the lungs.There are tow main types of lung disease. They are non-small cell which current accounts for 80% of diagnosed cases, and small cell making up the remaining 20%. Lung cancer usually always starts in just one lung. If left untreated, it can spread to other vital organs of the body as well such as the lymph nodes, the brain, bones, and liver just to name a few.Although over eighty percent of patients develop lung disease due to smoking, this is not the all-inclusive cause. Studies have shown that many environmental factors influence the probability of contracting lung cancer. Such factors include environmental pollution, toxic gas emissions, and exposure to ...

Smoking, whether it is cigarettes, cigars or a pipe, is strongly linked to developing health conditions such as heart disease and lung cancer. Besides these serious diseases, smoking may also be the cause of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).This condition causes inflammation and damages the very small air sacs (alveoli) in the lung tissue and will usually cause some form of breathing difficulty. COPD is usually a combination of chronic bronchitis and chronic emphysema.Because smoking is the major cause of both chronic bronchitis and chronic emphysema, these two conditions often occur together in the same person.The damage from COPD is both progressive and permanent. It has become a major health problem and according to health statistics, it is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Because of seriousness of these health conditions, there is an urgent for those who smoke, to quit smoking. Understanding the causes and symptoms of COPD is absolutely essential in trying to encourage smokers to quit this potentially fatal habit.Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchiole tubes and is usually caused by the inhalation of various bronchial irritants like cigarette smoke, fumes from chemicals, air pollution and other environmental irritants such as ...

What is Pleural Mesothelioma?Pleural Mesothelioma or malignant pleural mesothelioma is cancer in the layer of the lungs that can spread to the lungs. The spread of the tumor over the pleura results in pleural thickening. This hinders the reflexivity of the pleura and encases the lungs in an increasing restrictive belt. With the lungs thus restricted, they get constricted in no time and a person is always out of breath.Pleural mesothelioma can be:- Diffuse and malignant (carcinogenic)- Localized and benign (non-cancerous)Benign pleural mesothelioma can be removed surgically, but the malignant tumors are the real terror heads.Most common among other mesothelioma cases, Pleural Mesothelioma is caused due to exposure to blue asbestos for a longer period of time, say 20 years, in which time the disease incubates only to show its fearful countenance via certain symptoms.The symptoms of Pleural MesotheliomaThe symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma include difficulty in breathing, difficulty in sleeping, pain in the chest and abdominal regions, blood vomits, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, lower back pains, persistent coughing, hoarseness of voice, sensory loss and difficulty in swallowing.Diagnosis of Pleural MesotheliomaThe first step is to go through a chest X-ray or a CT scan (computed chest tomograph), which will reveal a ...

Lung cancer symptoms are very elusive and misleading. Mostly the condition is diagnosed only after having reached advanced stages. As of now there is no screening procedure for lung cancer. Symptoms are almost non existent where lung cancer is concerned.There might be a mild cough or shortness of breath that can also be attributed to some respiratory infections. This is the main reason as to why most of the lung cancer cases go undiagnosed in the early stages. Only a meager 16% of the cases are diagnosed early enough to facilitate treatment and cure.Some of the symptoms that we can investigate are as follows:1 - A new persistent cough that refuses to go away. Smokers usually have cough but if they have cancer the severity of the cough would be different. 2 - Chest pain is another indication that usually goes unnoticed. The pain can deepen with difficulty in breathing accompanied with cough or laugh. 3 - The throat is hoarse and when accompanied with wheezing can indicate inflammation of the lungs which could be cancer. 4 - There is gradual loss of weight due to loss of appetite. 5 - Hemoptysis or coughing up blood is a sure indication ...