HEALTH AND BEAUTY CARE


August 12, 2006

Types lung cancer

Filed under: Lung Cancer — Marc @ 4:53 pm

The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with Types lung cancer.

Knowing the types of lung cancer is important in treating them. There are two major types of lung cancers. They are Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) and Non-SCLC. The SCLC type is that which spreads to other parts of the body very fast. SCLC is treated mostly with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is also combined with surgery or radiation therapy to treat Small Cell Lung Cancer. With the help of a surgery samples are taken out of the tumor to determine the type of cancer a person has. Sometimes lymph nodes are also removed to ascertain the presence of cancer in it. Once the type of cancer is determined the treatment is started.

Chemotherapy is used to stop the growth and the spread of the lung cancer beyond the lungs. Apart from stopping the growth with the chemotherapy the existing tumors in others parts of the body are treated with radiation therapy. You may consult a radiation oncologist for radiation therapy even if cancer is not present in areas like brain. An oncologist may suggest you to have a radiation therapy in the brain to prevent the cancer from being spread to this important part in your body. This type of treatment of the brain with radiation therapy is called prophylactic cranial irradiation. Proper consultation is to be done with the doctor and the patient since radiation may affect the function of the brain if it is exposed to radiation. Sometimes the passage of radiation in an attempt to remove cancerous growth in the spine and bones may not succeed but it may bring in comfort for the patient by relieving some of the symptoms of cancer. 

Truthfully, the only difference between you and Types lung cancer experts is time. If you’ll invest a little more time in reading, you’ll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to Types lung cancer.

A Non Small Cell Lung Cancer spreads very slowly to the other parts as it grows slowly than the SCLC type of cancer. Early stages of diagnosis of cancer can be treated with surgery. Apart from surgery radiation or chemotherapy can be used to slow down the growth of the cancerous cells and also to relieve the symptoms of cancer. Radiation therapy of treating NSCLC can be done is patient who cannot go for surgery due to some medical conditions. If the lung cancer is spread to the lymph nodes then radiation therapy is the best way to treat cancer. Even if the nearby tissues of the lymph are affected by cancer then radiation therapy is the best option. Pain due to tumors can be reduced if radiation therapy is given to the patient. Radiotherapy makes the patient to breathe easily by making the airways open. Hence it is important to diagnose the type of cancer that is present in the patient and the areas that are affected by the cancer. The first step will be to stop the growth of cancer cells and then to treat them with an appropriate therapy.

Statistics reveal that about 20% of the lung cancers are SCLC and 80% of the cancers are Non-SCLC. The SCLC type of lung cancer is also called the oat cell carcinomas. Based on the type of cells the Non-SCLC type is further categorized as Adenocarcinomas, Squamous cell carcinomas, and large cell carcinomas. The adenocarcinomas are found in smoker as well as non-smokers. The squamous carcinomas are found in the central chest area. The large cell carcinomas are the undifferentiated carcinomas and these are the least common type. The other types of lung cancer that can occur in a person are the Bronchial carcinoids and cancers that affect the supporting tissues of the lungs and blood vessels. Cancers of the lung can also occur as a result of spreading of the cancer from other parts to the lungs. In such cases the cancerous growths are found scattered in the lungs and most often on the peripheral lungs.

Knowing enough about Types lung cancer to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you’ve just learned about Types lung cancer, you should have nothing to worry about.

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Cause of lung cancer

Filed under: Lung Cancer — Marc @ 3:46 am

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about lung cancer? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about lung cancer.

Do you know each year USA is losing its 170,000 citizens mainly due to lung cancer? World census confirms that 3.5 million people per year have been the victims for lung cancer. In most cases, lung cancer can be prevented easily. Even if lung changes start immediately upon exposure to carcinogens, lung cancer may consume years together to develop. The cause of lung cancer depends upon various factors such as smoking, radon exposure, occupational hazard such as exposure to carcinogens - asbestos particles (Mesothelioma). Out of all these reasons, Cigarette smoke, with carcinogens at its high concentration, inhaled by both smokers and nonsmokers is the leading cause of lung cancer.

More than 87% lung cancer sufferers confirm that the cause of the lung cancer is tobacco smoking and for the rest, the cause of the lung cancer is environmental exposure to tobacco smoke. The other causes of lung cancer include exposure to cancer causing agent in the work place and a family or personal history of lung cancer.

Of late, the scientists have found how these causes of lung cancer modify the DNA of cells in the lungs. The DNA, genetic material usually carries the instruction to the cells what they should do. The main genetic cause of lung cancer is that due to DNA mutations that either activates oncogenes (Genes that promote cell division) or inactivates tumor suppressor genes (Genes that slow down cell division or cause cells to die at the appropriate time). Due to the DNA mutation, there may be proliferation of cells, which is uncontrollable and finally lead to lung cancer.

Sometimes this mutation of DNA may be inherited during one’s lifetime and may act as a cause of lung cancer, which is very rare. Some individuals are having low capability to nullify the effect of certain types of cancer-causing chemicals and this may perform as a cause of lung cancer.

Do you know asbestos workers are 7 times more likely to go for a victim to lung cancer? An important cause of lung cancer apart from tobacco smoking is exposure to asbestos fiber. The asbestos workers are at lung cancer risk of 50 to 90 times greater than that of common man. The greater risk of developing lung cancer starts from the pleura irrespective of the smokers and non-smokers. Nowadays the government totally stopped the usage of asbestos in industrial and commercial products.

Radon, a radioactive gas is produced in the natural process of uranium breakdown. The indoor radon is more risk than outdoor radon. Hence the houses built on uranium rich soil developed high rate of indoor radon, which is a main cause of lung cancer in that area.

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of lung cancer. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

 There are other carcinogens present in the workplace act as a main cause of lung cancer. The causes of lung cancer includes fuels such as gasoline, diesel exhaust, mustard gas, inhaled minerals or chemicals such as arsenic, vinyl chloride, coal products, beryllium, nickel chromates, etc.,

Marijuana is considered to be one of the causes of lung cancer. The percentage of tar in marijuana is more than cigarettes. Marijuana has been inhaled deeply and kept in the lungs for a long time and contains tumor-causing substances as like that of tobacco. Marijuana is not only causing lung cancer but also throat and mouth cancer.

Although there are numerous reasons for lung cancer, tobacco smoking is considered to be the primary cause of lung cancer. Hence quit smoking is considered to be the best treatment for eliminating the cause of lung cancer. 

This article’s coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.

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