Monday....November 16th...2009

NOVEMBER.....Lung Cancer Awareness Month

More people will die this year from lung cancer than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.

NEWS FACTS

• According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 215,000 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008; this year alone, more than 161,800 will die from the disease.

• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women, responsible for almost 30% of the total cancer deaths every year.

• Lung cancer is the second-most diagnosed cancer in both men and women.

• Since 1987, more women have died from lung cancer that from breast cancer.

• The one-year relative survival rate for lung cancer has slightly increased from 35% to 41% from 1979 to 2003.

• More than 60% of new lung cancer patients are non-smokers or former smokers who quit decades ago.

Sources: Moffitt Cancer Center; American Cancer Society

I added this after a question was asked in the comments section.....

Cheryl asked about detecting lung cancer.....in her comment...below are cancer symptoms...in Linda's case it started with a persistent hacky cough...An xray showed "something" in the lung....which was intitially treated as pneumonia.....a scan followed by a lung biopsy determined it was lung cancer.


Lung Cancer Symptoms

Up to one-fourth of all people with lung cancer may have no symptoms when the cancer is diagnosed. These cancers usually are identified incidentally when a chest x-ray is performed for another reason. The majority of people, however, develop symptoms. The symptoms are due to direct effects of the primary tumor, to effects of metastatic tumors in other parts of the body, or to disturbances of hormones, blood, or other systems caused by the cancer.

Symptoms of primary lung cancers include cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

•A new cough in a smoker or a former smoker should raise concern for lung cancer.

•A cough that does not go away or gets worse over time should be evaluated by a health-care provider.

•Coughing up blood (hemoptysis) occurs in a significant number of people who have lung cancer. Any amount of coughed-up blood is cause for concern.

•Chest pain is a symptom in about one-fourth of people with lung cancer. The pain is dull, aching, and persistent and may involve other structures surrounding the lung.

•Shortness of breath usually results from a blockage to the flow of air in part of the lung, collection of fluid around the lung (pleural effusion), or the spread of tumor throughout the lungs.
•Wheezing or hoarseness may signal blockage or inflammation in the lungs that may go along with cancer.

•Repeated respiratory infections, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, can be a sign of lung cancer.

Symptoms of metastatic lung tumors depend on the location and size. About 30%-40% of people with lung cancer have some symptoms or signs of metastatic disease.

•Lung cancer most often spreads to the liver, the adrenal glands, the bones, and the brain.

•Metastatic lung cancer in the liver usually does not cause symptoms, at least by the time of diagnosis.

•Metastatic lung cancer in the adrenal glands also typically causes no symptoms by the time of diagnosis.

•Metastasis to the bones is most common with small cell cancers but also occurs with other lung cancer types. Lung cancer that has metastasized to the bone causes bone pain, usually in the backbone (vertebrae), the thighbones, and the ribs.

•Lung cancer that spreads to the brain can cause difficulties with vision, weakness on one side of the body, and/or seizures.