Posts Tagged ‘lung cancer’

Lung Cancer Asbestos

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009


Asbestos is a compound which is naturally present in the earth. It has been mined over the period of time. The small fibers of asbestos when inhaled get stuck in the lungs. They remain there for a long time ad over the years the exposure to asbestos coupled with smoking may lead to lung cancer related to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos has been used in insulation for the buildings, roof shingles, furnaces, textured paints and floor tiles. Exposure of any kind of asbestos can be a cause for lunge cancer related to asbestos.

A patient suffering from asbestos lung cancer may not develop any symptoms for a long time. A persistent cough, hoarseness, chest pain, blood in sputum and weight loss could be symptoms of any other disease. So it is a good idea if you are suffering from any such symptoms and if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past you should tell your doctor.

There are different tests to confirm asbestos lung cancer. The patient may be asked to go in for bronchoscopy. A thin lighted tube is inserted into the nose or mouth and the doctor can look into your breathing passage. He can collect tissue samples for examination. Needle aspiration is another procedure where a needle is inserted in the tumor through the chest and a sample tissue is removed. A doctor may remove some fluid from the lungs to investigate if cancer cells are found. Mediastinoscopy is done to examine the chest and the lymph nodes. A tissue is from the lymph nodes and the wind pipe is taken out from a small hole cut into the neck.

Sometimes to detect asbestos lung cancer CT scan or MRI and PET or position emission tomography becomes useful. These tests also help the doctor to see how far the cancer has spread.

The treatment of asbestos lung cancer depends on the age of the patient. It also depends on the type of cancer and how far it has spread. The treatment is aimed at improving the quality of life of the patient. The treatment options are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy. Which treatment to be used depends on the size and location of the tumor. If the cancer is inoperable then it may be treated by cryosurgery. In this procedure the cancer tissue is freeze to destroy it. Asbestos exposure and smoking is a dangerous combination that can give you lung cancer.

 Mail this post

Tags: ,
Posted in Lung Cancer Asbestos | No Comments »

Lung Cancer Treatment

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009


Lung cancer treatment depends on the type of lung cancer you have. There are two main types of lung cancer. One is small cell lung cancer and the other is non-small cell lung cancer. In these types the cancer cells behave differently so the treatment of these two is different.

Like in any other cancer treatment, lung cancer treatment also uses surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy to cure or control the disease. It depends on the patient which treatment will prove beneficial to him. Before going for surgery for the cancer the patient’s general health is taken into account. The CT scan gives a clear picture of the tumor. If the tumor is localized or if it has spread to a place so it becomes inoperable.

Before the surgery is done the patient has to under go lung function test. If the test results are good only then the decision of surgery is taken. If the patient is suffering from non small cell ling cancer then surgery is the only option if only one lung is affected. Some of the affected part of the lung can be removed by surgery. Lobectomy is done to minimize the chances of recurrence of cancer.

If the patient is suffering from small cell lung cancer then it is treated with chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy given after the surgery is called adjuvant chemotherapy. It is given to improve the results of survival of the patient.

Radio therapy is often combined with chemotherapy. The patients who are not suitable for surgery are often given radiotherapy as lung cancer treatment. Radiotherapy may be given to control the symptoms. It has been seen that the cancer which is not spread outside the chest cavity responses about 80 to 90% to the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In about 50% to 60% patients show no detectable cancer after the treatment. But it has been seen that a relapse occurs within one or two years in the patients suffering from small cell ling cancer.

When relapse occurs then as lung cancer treatment different regime of chemotherapy is given for survival benefit and symptom relief. Chemotherapy is given through the blood veins. The drugs kill the cancer cells but they also kill healthy cells. As a result the patient may suffer side effects of the drug. Hair loss, vomiting, nausea, mouth sores, skin problems and fatigue these are some of the side effects of chemotherapy faced by the patient.

 Mail this post

Tags: ,
Posted in Lung Cancer Treatment | 1 Comment »

Small Cell Lung Cancer

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009


When our body cell start multiplying without any reason or control they form a mass it is called tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Malignant tumors are called cancer. When cells in the lung start multiplying without any order or control the person is said to have a cancer of lungs.

There are two different types of lung cancer. One is small cell lung cancer and the other is non-small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer spreads quickly and grows very rapidly. Sometimes it is also referred by the name Oat cell cancer.

Smoking is the root cause of small cell lung cancer. Though lung cancer is quite common this type of cancer is rarely found in non smokers. The behavior of this cancer is the most aggressive.

Small cell lung cancer generally starts in the bronchi or the air tubes in middle of the chest. The cell can form large tumors and it can spread really rapidly to the other parts of the body such as the liver, bone or brain.

The symptoms of this cancer are persistent cough, chest pain, blood in sputum, loss of appetite, weight loss wheezing, and shortness of breath. Sometimes the patient may experience facial swelling, fever; sometimes the patient may have difficulty in swallowing and may notice nail abnormalities.

There are many tests to confirm the diagnosis of cancer. The medical care giver may ask you some questions and your medical history, if you are a smoker etc. According to the symptoms and the history chest x-ray, CT scan, MRI, sputum test, blood test etc. will be performed.

In some cases a small tissue from the affected part will be removed for biopsy. Once the tests are done and the pathological reports confirm the presence of cancer the treatment starts.

Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for small cell lung cancer. It stops the cell from growing rapidly and spreading quickly. Generally two or more chemotherapy drugs are given as an injection through the vein. Chemotherapy is given in one to three day period. Then the wait is for three weeks so that the body can recover from the side effects. There is no fix time table or duration for the treatment. It differs from patient to patient. It also depends on how the body reacts to the treatment and how cancer is responding to it.

 Mail this post

Tags: ,
Posted in Small Cell Lung Cancer | 1 Comment »