The causes of many types of cancer remain unknown. However, this is not the case with lung cancer. As long as you are aware of the lung cancer causes, you will be able to take effective measures for prevention. This condition causes the largest number of cancer deaths, but it is also the most preventable one as well.

The main cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoking. It has been estimated that between 85% and 90% of all cases are caused by smoking. Tobacco contains over 4,000 chemical compounds and many of them are harmful to the human body. It is equally true that a large number of these chemical compounds can lead to the growth of tumor cells in the lungs. There are two of them that have been identified as the primary carcinogenic substances in tobacco. These are the nitrosamines and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The risk of developing the condition increases with the number of packs you smoke per day and the number of years you smoke. In general, a smoker is 25 times more likely to get the disease than someone who does not smoke. Happily, the risk for getting lung cancer in people who have ceased smoking reaches the risk level of non-smokers after 15 years of cessation.

Pipe smoking and cigar smoking are also among the most notable lung cancer causes. Still, these smokers that do not use cigarettes are only 5 times more likely to develop the condition compared to nonsmokers.

Passive smoking is another one of the most common lung cancer causes. Currently, around 3,000 lung cancer deaths a year are attributed to passive smoking. Second hand smokers are individuals who reside with smokers and share living quarters, in which cigarette smoke is present. Their risk of developing the condition is approximately 24% higher compared to the risk nonsmokers stand.

Exposure to asbestos can also lead to the development of cancer in the lungs. This material, used in construction, contains dangerous silicate fibers that can be inhaled during work. The risk for developing the condition of nonsmoking individuals exposed to asbestos is 5 times greater than in nonsmokers. It should be pointed out that the use of this material in many countries has been banned.

Exposure to radon gas, released during the natural decay of uranium products, is another one of the common lung cancer causes. It is responsible for 12% of the deaths from this condition. It has been estimated that 1 of every 15 homes in the US alone has dangerous level of radon gas.

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lung cancer

lung cancer survivability

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People who have been newly diagnosed as having lung cancer will need facts about it as fast as practical. The specifics about lung cancer, concerning its prevention are of small result to them now. What are the probabilities of survival? What are the treatments? How effective are they? These are the questions they’re going to put to their doctors and will definitely get the the particulars about lung cancer from them. For their family and buddies, once they’ve been informed, these facts are also of doubt, but out of a sensitivity to this cancer’s victim, they won’t ask the victim immediately. They will come to the net to get the answers. Hence let’s take a look at some of the direct facts about lung cancer. The answers will help you adapt to your relative or friend’s condition and help you take on a suitably compassionate approach. Lung cancer is among the most troublesome cancers to see.

Your lungs have no agony nerves. You can’t typically tell if you have lung cancer till the major symptoms appear, the principal one being the coughing up of blood. X-rays of lungs may show a spot that doesn’t seem to be carcenogenic, only to become so later. Because it’s so hard to notice, the carcinoma has enough time to grow, customarily to a point that, when it is evident, it is too late. This implies that your relative or buddy is in a condition of shock when they learn that they’ve been stricken. The shock is to their entire psyche. Their doctor has told them, dependent on the cancer’s stage, that they have got a little time left.

Be susceptible to this shock. The way in which it is manifested varies from person to person. Your best first reply is to inform them you are sorry to hear about it. Don’t hesitate to show your own grief. To understand that you’re as disappointed as they’re will turn out to be a comfort. Let your relative or chum be the one to tell you what their doctor forecasts. Life outlook is dependent on the cancer’s stage of development. Facts about lung cancer survivability are rather cold. Definitely , some survive and go on to live for a number of years ; in unusual cases, full remission has taken place. Sadly , the stage of progression of the carcinoma after diagnosis is bleak. Normally lung cancer patients receiving chemo may see 4.8 months without progression of the carcinoma, but mostly, the tumor moves forward and the patient may survive for just a total of 10.3 months after diagnosis. As new drugs become available, facts about lung cancer survivability are changing on a scheduled basis. In 2008 the drug Erbitux was tested and found to enhance survivability from 10.1 months to 11.3, a 5 % increase. The chance of surviving for a year or even more so grew from 42 to 47 p.c. Even at the time of this writing, new drugs are being developed. Facts about lung cancer treatment relate to one side results of chemotherapy. Loss of hair is the most evident. Your relative or chum will appear malnutritioned and will have dermatitis.

Whatever you observe, do so with compassion. Be delicate. Be loving.

If at all possible leave your friend or relative with a grin, a medication that usually calms.

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Mesothelioma may be a kind of cancer which happens within the cells surrounding the organs referred to as the mesothelial cells. Mesothelioma happens most frequently in the tissues covering the lungs and is almost perpetually caused by exposure to asbestos.

It is sometimes over twenty years before asbestos related cancer is diagnosed and also the prognosis for patients is seldom positive. Traditional treatment embody chemotherapy, but in recent years there was more time and effort spent researching different treatments that can help to eradicate the disease or improve a sufferer’s quality of life.

A lot of these treatments are still in testing and analysis stages, however an increasing range of those suffering with the disease are willing to require a probability to determine if these treatments will help them.

Vitamin C has been trialled as a cure at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Scotland and reportedly had ‘excellent results’. It was administered in quite high doses by the chief surgeon and was deemed successful, although in different studies have reported minimal or no success.

Iscador, a natural remedy, is the trading name of Viscum album, a explicit species of mistletoe,, that has been said to reduce the consequences of cancer. Very few experts counsel Viscum album reduces tumour size, but stimulation of the immune system, an improved normally health well being, and a reversion of cancerous cells into less damaging forms are some of its benefits.

Astragulus is another plant primarily based remedy, which could be a native Chinese plant that has been studied as a remedy in China. One such study concluded that if chemotherapy was combined with injections of Astragulus then the event of tumours might be inhibited and the operate of the immune system may be improved.

No alternative therapies are completely endorses as successful as of however, however the advancements within the way we have a tendency to will treat and scale back the effects of asbestos cancer imply that specialists are obtaining nearer to finding ways that of increasing life expectancy in patients, or maybe even finding a cure.

Would like more data on asbestos law? asbestos claim solicitors Oliver & Co are asbestos consultants and their website has a lot of details relating to asbestos and its effects. Read more other useful info about cancer stages, breast cancer stage and pancreatic cancer symptoms

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When looking for facts about lung cancer, one jumps off the page faster and more vividly than any other facts about lung cancer: Smoking is the cause 95% of the time. In no other cancer is the cause so obviously and clearly outlined. Yes, there are ties between red meat and colorectal cancer. Yes, certain hormone treatments have been linked to breast cancer. And everyone knows asbestos’s history.

But when it comes to facts about lung cancer, it’s unassailable that smoking is very, very likely to be the cause of any given case. Ignore this at your own peril.

Some other facts about lung cancer:

Just under 200,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. This is a decrease in percentage of the population that coincides perfectly with the decrease in percentage of smokers over the decades.

Unfortunately, while instances of lung cancer have become less common among men, it’s become far more common among women. This is attributable to the increase in smoking among women in the Caucasian community in the 1970s as well as the increase in minority communities in the 1980s and 1990s. There are also some recent stories that suggest women may generally be more predisposed to getting lung cancer than men, but many in the health industry view these reports sceptically.

And understand this: Even if you’ve been a lifetime smoker, quitting smoking at any time will help your chances of avoiding lung cancer! It’s never too late to quit smoking and improve your health. Yet another of the facts about lung cancer that can’t be missed.

Symptoms should be aware of are largely what you’d expect them to be. There’s shortness of breath and wheezing, a persistent cough, chest pain, and spitting up blood. If you’re experiencing any or all of the above, make sure to monitor your condition closely and get to a doctor. It’s not worth taking chances with your life when it comes to the most common cancer in the western world.

While lung cancer is survivable if caught early, as of the year 2004 it still caused nearly one point five million annual worldwide deaths. The countries where the percentage of deaths from lung cancer are the highest tend to be in Eastern and Central Europe, though both the United States and Canada also have high rates of death from lung cancer.

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The pleural, peritoneal and pericardial are the 3 sort of mesothelioma cancer, which affects the mesothelium. Over exposure to asbestos for a long period of time is the cause behind this serious form of cancer. Mesothelioma symptom appears and the diagnosis of the infection takes place generally at the advanced stage of cancer. This ends up in many deaths.

Only an experienced medical practitioner can detect the exact type of cancer, since the symptoms for all three types are mostly similar. Wrong diagnosis often proves fatal as it further delays the treatment. Shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, hoarseness, building up of extra fluid between the pleura, pain in chest, abdomen, shoulder or arm, tiredness, fever, loss of weight and appetite are the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Depending of the seriousness of the disease, the symptoms may vary from person to person. About 90% of the patients experience chest pain and shortness of breath, 84% suffer pleural effusion and less than 30% bear weight loss. It should also be noted that around 3% of the patients remain without any symptoms.

 Peritoneal mesothelioma patients experience weight loss, pain or swelling in the abdomen, obstruction of bowels, high fever etc. Here also some patients may not experience all these symptoms but some others may witness some additional mesothelioma symptom also. Pericardial mesothelioma symptoms are chest pain of varying degrees, persistent coughing, high fatigue without any physical activity etc.

 Identifying the symptoms and understanding it in the genuine perspective is the primary step for deciding up on an appropriate treatment system. Since mesothelioma symptom usually appears once the person has passed his fresh stage, it can prove a serious hurdle in the way of a cure. The surgeon should identify the type and stage of cancer correctly and the treatment process should be started in earnest. Surgery can be used to get rid of the cancer if it is limited to a selected region. Complicated stages may need chemotherapy and radiation, though results aren’t always positive. If it is located that the patient doesn’t respond to the treatment definitely, then palliative treatment is done. Here the symptoms are treated, not the cause.

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What if I told you that our health is the most important asset we have. Would you believe me? Why is it today that everybody seems to be plagued with bad health.

You can make a stand and try incorporating these health tips into your everyday life and see if they make a difference to your total health.

Lets have a look:

Don’t Smoke – One of the main reasons why people decide not to give up smoking, and sadly, the reason why some people take it up is the effect smoking supposedly has on you weigh gain or loss. It is true that smoking has been associated with an increase in metabolism it is a drug!!

However it is a dangerous, addictive drug and surely the tiny effect it has on your metabolism is outweighed by the huge risk of dying from lung cancer.

Interestingly in regards to weight gain and loss, although smoking over 25 cigarettes a day can increase your metabolism by up to 10% overall, smokers have been found to be fatter than non – smokers!!

Take In More Water – You can live three weeks without food, However you can only live for three days without fluid, just think 3 days and its all over, one could suggest that fluid is fairly important!

Your body is anywhere between 60 and 70 percent fluid. The fluid in your body is responsible for helping to keep every system of your body in good working order, including all of your metabolic processes.

De-hydrate and everything slows down. The fluid in your body will also ensure that you can move well and be active.

If you start to dehydrate, your body’s ability to do basic activities will slow down and your ability to exercise effectively or even enjoy exercise will be reduced. You will feel tired, lethargic and will probably get a headache.

Eat A Variety Of Foods – For protection from the majority of illnesses such as heart disease and cancer you need a variety of foods that deliver that mix of nutrients and minerals.

Aim to eat different coloured fruits and vegetables. Try to eat a different food each month. Eat an apple a day as the apple pectin cleanses the body’s digestive system by removing toxins and therefore preventing degenerative health problems such as cancer.

Relax For 20 Minutes a Day – Relaxing for at least 20 minutes a day will go a long way to reduce blood pressure and your reactions to stress. Sit or lie somewhere comfortable, Breathe slowly in and out of the nostrils breathing deeply into your abdomen. Say HAM as you inhale and SA as you exhale.

These suggestions are charged with positive energy and will help you control your emotions. Try once a day for fantastic results.

Floss Every Day – Flossing your teeth every day is the best way to prevent gum disease and protect your heart. Gum disease, which is left untreated, can lead to inflammatory reactions in the body that can trigger heart disease and stroke.

Drink More Tea – Try drinking more tea instead of coffee to help protect your body from damaging effects of free radicals. Tea is a rich source of antioxidants that play a big role in protecting against some cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Get Active – Aerobic activity not only burns calories but also increases your metabolism and can keep it elevated for several hours after a workout. You don’t need to spend hours each day on the treadmill or bike to reap the benefits.

Exercising aerobically for as little as 20 minutes, three to five days a week will make a big difference. Extra movement throughout the day is also essential, take the stairs instead of the lift, lose the remote and move at every opportunity you can.

Get More Sleep – Lack of sleep changes your hormone levels and capacity to metabolise carbohydrates so less sleep = slower metabolism.

Studies have revealed that deep sleep causes cell repair and cell growth, which will speed up the metabolism and burn calories. So aim to get at least eight hours sleep a night.

Eat More Protein And Boost Your Energy Levels – Protein stimulates the major brain chemical dopamine which keeps us alert, try chicken or tuna salads for lunch. Go for complex carbohydrates rather than white flour and sugar, as they will provide a sustained energy source as opposed to a quick hit.

Another reason to leave simple carbohydrates out of the diet is that they have a negative effect on your skin and how it ages. The more sugar that is in the body the more you force a chemical reaction causing sugars to attach to proteins and this is very detrimental to your skin.

So go ahead and introduce these tips into your everyday life, I am sure you will reap the benefits as you go forward.

Gary Matthews
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/tips-on-health-132534.html

AN ARTICLE ON CANCER

What is cancer?

Cancer is the general term used for diseases in which normal cells separate without any control thus involving other tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to various parts of the body through the blood and lymph system.

Wild cell growth turns into cancer when it is exposed to carcinogens (Cancer- causing substance) genetic defects, or viruses. A tumour is formed when cancer cells multiply large masses of tissue. In some cases tumours limit themselves to one spot in the body; some can be removed by surgery. These kinds of tumours may cause little harm and is termed benign. Hostile tumours are called malignant. The study of cancer is called oncology.

Causes of Cancer

People get lung cancer most of the time from smoking tobacco which is said to have carcinogenic substance mainly known as tobacco smoke. Some carcinogens include certain chemicals, the Sun’s ultraviolet light, and radiation. Cancer can be formed by several viruses by altering the DNA of a host cell and converting the cell’s normal genes into cancer – causing genes, or oncogenes. Genetic  factors – such as chromosomal abnormalities or the inheritance of faulty genes from a parent of fore parent. This could most likely cause these persons who inherit these genes can end up having cancer. People that are Down syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality are susceptible to leukaemia.

How is cancer formed?

When a normal cell transforms into a cancer cell the genetic material (deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA) of a cell is changed, or mutated. Tumours don’t form over night they formed over decades or a certain amount of years, because of this it is very susceptible to formed into a cancer cell as time goes along. Most cancer occurs after the age of fifty, yet some are detected earlier in life, it varies.

Different types of cancer

It has been accessed that there are over more than 200 different types of cancers. They are named after the tissue or the organ they begin to form. The term Leukemia refers to cancer of white blood cells (can be also called leukocytes). Melanomas are cancers that begin in melanocytes (skin pigmentation.

Names of Cancers

Lung Cancer

Bladder Cancer

Colon and Rectal Cancer

Breast Cancer

Endometrial Cancer

Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer

Non- Hodgkin Lymphoma Pancreatic Cancer

Skin Cancer

Non-melanoma thyroid Cancer

Prostrate Cancer

Leukemia

Bladder Cancer

Bone Cancer

Bile Duct Cancer

Brain Tumour

Appendix Cancer

Adrenocortical Carcinoma

Cervical cancer

Childhood cancer

Eye Cancer

Gall bladder Cancer

Kidney Cancer

Lip and oral Cancer

Liver Cancer

Mouth Cancer

Rectal Cancer

Salivary Cancer

Urethral Cancer

Vaginal Cancer

Vulvar Cancer

Treatments for cancer

Oncologists have been using Chemotherapy, or drug therapy to help cancer patience around the world. When cancer spreads to different parts of the body chemotherapy is used to help treat the cancer, before it gets worst. The immune system is weak when cancer spreads through the body. Therefore a treatment name immune enhancing drugs or antibodies are also used to help build back up the immune system and to destroy abnormal cells. There has been an anticancer drug that kills cancer cells while leaving the good ones alive. This drug was introduced in the spring of 2001. The drug, Gleevec has proven to work very strongly against chronic myelogenous leukaemia, leukaemia is one of the four main types of blood cancer.

How can u prevent cancer?

Cancer can be prevented by doing the following:

¬For all smokers the only way that you can avoid yourself from getting lung cancer is to stop smoking.

¬Try not to be in the sun for lengthy periods, too much exposure to the sun can cause cancer

¬Lessen your high- fat diets

¬Avoid alcohol as much as possible

¬Unsafe sex

¬Other Carcinogens could prevent more than 80% of all cancer cases.

¬Do yearly testing; this would detect it in the early stage if you are tested positive, early treatment can be taken.

The following are various tests than can be taken to see if you have cancer.

Skin Cancer: Skin examination this is done by the naked eye of the doctor. If any area may look suspicious then biopsy is done and under the microscope cancer cells are examined

 Prostate Cancer:

·       Digital Rectal Examination: Prostrate is examined by a doctor using his/her finger from the lower part from the rectum. When you reach fifty years it must be done at least once a year. If there was any sign before that you may have prostrate then do a test once every year even though you may be under forty

Breast Cancer:

·       Breast Self Examination: when you reach twenty years of age, this examination must be taken once every month.

·       Clinical Breast Examination: the breasts and regions under the arms should be examined also, between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Once every three years this examination should be carried out, and once every year after the age of forty.

·       Mammogram: Imaging of the breasts with X rays. It must be done once every year after 40 years of age.

An illustration of how a mammogram is done

Lung Cancer:

     Chest X-ray: It is imaging of organs and bones in chest with X-ray. Especially if you are a smoker you should do chest x –rays at least twice a year.

 Colorectal Cancer:

·       Fecal Occult Blood Test: Blood in stool which can be seen only under microscope is examined. It must be done once every year after 50 years of age.

Why cancer has and is becoming more prevalent

  Over the last generation there has been vast difference between the way we use to live and how we are now living. I can almost say that we live in a different world. Technology has been increased by a large percentage. Smelter plants, environmental chemical, polluted air, microwaves, computers, utensils and a lot of foods are said to be cancerous to us. Meats that are harmonized (e.g. chicken), plants, vegetables, fruits etc. these are all things that should make us healthy, but instead it can be deadly to us. Because of the amount of hormones that are being injected into them, plants and trees are being sprayed with insecticide, fertilizers as though these liquids are water. Then they are being sold to groceries, farmers etc, for us to buy and eat. 

Is there any cure for cancer?

   Since cancer has been detected, no cure solution has ever been introduced. Various anti–cancer tablets and chemotherapy was put in place in order to control cancer cells. Cancer, AIDS and Sugar diabetes are the three major sicknesses that have no cure. Although there are things out there to help cancer. It is proven that more and more people are getting cancer. Women have become prone to Breast cancer for the past 3o years. United States had even poured out $30 billion to help find a solution to cure cancer.

Abigail J. Chandler
http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/an-article-on-cancer-756574.html

Lung Cancer is the most common and lethal of the cancers that one can be diagnosed with; however there are also effective treatments for patients suffering from lung cancer.

Most cases of lung cancer are smoking related, but not all smokers will develop this form of the cell degenerative disease. It is a good idea to quit smoking if you are, and even the occasional cigar could increase your chances of getting lung cancer. This is why it is also especially dangerous to smoke near children and babies, because among the other harmful effects, this can play a huge role in their development of cancer one day.

There are many different types of lung cancers. These are Epidermold carcinoma or Squamous cell carcinoma which is most common in men and attacks the bronchial tube lining. Then there is Adenocarcinoma lung cancer which forms in the mucus glands and occurs mainly in females and in non smokers. Bronchioalveolar carcinoma is a rare part of Adenocarcinoma cancer, forms near to the air sacs in the lung and is shown to be responding more effectively to the newer clinical trial treatments.

Other types of lung cancer are the Large cell undifferentiated carcinomas which occur on the outer edges of the lungs closer to the surface. This type spreads more quickly than the others and has usually done so by the time it is even diagnosed. Small cell lung cancer is caused more often than not by smoking and accounts for 20 percent of all cases of the disease. The cells start off small but quickly grow into large tumors.

Lung cancer can be easy to miss as the symptom produce in the form of normal flu like symptoms and normal illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia. You could have an irritating cough and some chest, back and shoulder pain. If you notice any blood in the sputum or a change in its color then it will be wise to have it checked. Other symptoms could include a shortness of breath or very difficult breathing.

The symptoms of lung cancer do not have to be only respiratory related. You might have loss of or no appetite, fatigue, joint and head aches, swelling in the face or neck and also sudden weight loss. More severe symptoms of lung cancer can include strange lapses in memory and becoming unsteady on your feet. There are many therapies and treatments, including some clinical trials, so if you are diagnosed, speak to your practitioner about these options.

Fransis Rodrigues
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/something-about-lung-cancer-100279.html

The treatment for lung cancer is dependent upon the type it is and what stage it is in. Different types and different stages are handled according to what is needed for each. It also depends on what condition the patient is in physically. The options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of these treatments. For some patients, a clinical trial may work.

Lung surgery is performed by thoracic surgeons along with a team that is specialized and highly skilled. If a patient has non-small cell lung cancer where it has not spread away from the chest, that patient can usually be treated by surgery successfully.

Using surgery for the treatment of lung cancer has several forms. These are:

* Mediastinoscopy which is a minimally invasive method of sampling the lymph nodes located on the main airway to check for the spread of a tumor.

* Thoracospy is also minimally invasive. It is done to access the chest to diagnose and treat the cancer. There are small incisions made to do this. Another name for it is VATS or video-assisted thoracic surgery.

* Wedge resection is the removal of a small part of one lung.

* Segmentectomy is the removal of part of a lobe from one lung.

* Lobectomy is the removal of a whole lobe from one lung. This is the most common type of surgical treatment of lung cancer.
 
* Sleeve resection involves removing a portion of the airway with or with adjoining the lung, and then reattaching the ends remaining to maintain tissue of the lung.

* Pneumonectomy is the removal of a lung.

When radiation treatments are used to treat lung cancer, external beam radiation is used first. A patient who is given this type of radiation does not become radioactive. This therapy will be prescribed and monitored by a radiation oncologist. The radiation oncologist will work with the patient to design the best plan of radiation for that particular patient.

Another in line for treatment of lung cancer is chemotherapy. This can include many different drugs. They can be administered by mouth, or intravenously depending on which drugs are used. A medical oncologist prescribes the chemotherapy, which may help the radiation be more effective. The doctor and patient works together to decide the best course of treatment that will be most effective and most easily tolerated by the patient.
 
Whatever course of action for treatment that is used will need to be decided upon by the oncologist. The best way for success is if the patient and doctor are working together in a co-operative way.

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Are you aware that Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer can both be caused by Asbestos exposure? Different types of treatment are available for these cancers, including traditional ones such as Chemotherapy and surgery, as well as experimental treatments and clinical trials. If you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma or Lung Cancer because of exposure to Asbestos in the Modesto area, we can help.

Duration : 1 min 10 sec

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