www.encognitive.com It’s been said that statistics is the only field where two people can draw different conclusions on the same set of data. For example, chemotherapy’s estimated efficacy rate is 3% to 80%. This wide gap depends on whether you’re using the 5 year survival rate defined by the American Cancer Society or the total life survival rate. 1. So, what is chemotherapy? It is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It was invented around WWII from the poisonous nerve gas called Mustard Gas. 2. It is very difficult to discuss any success rates for treating lung cancer with chemo, radiation, surgery or a combination of those, because it depends on many variables — type and stage of cancer, its location and size, the age and health of the patient, and so on. Very generally, for non-small cell lung cancer 5 year survival rate varies from up to 80% at stage I to less than 1% at stage IV. For small-cell lung cancer, same rate for limited stage is bout 10% and none for extensive stage. 3. So, basically, the success in curing lung cancer is dismally low. Even with early detection and screening programs for lung cancer, many studies show no significant survival benefit. And since the majority of lung cancer is diagnosed at a relatively late stage, only about 10% of all lung cancer patients are ultimately cured. 4. There is a rather large variety of alternative lung cancer …

As with most cancers, the earlier you detect lung cancer the better your chances of survival. In fact, when it’s caught in the first stages, there’s an almost 50% survival rate after five years. This is a remarkable number considering the fact that overall, lung cancer has only a 15% survival rate.

So the earlier it’s diagnosed the better.

And that’s why being aware of the signs of lung cancer can mean the difference between surviving and becoming a statistic.

The Early Lung Cancer Symptoms

Since the early signs of lung cancer can easily be mistaken for other conditions, it’s often difficult to take them seriously. However, if you’re experiencing a chronic cough that doesn’t appear related to a virus or allergy, wheezing, chest pain, bouts of bronchitis, or a persistent fever … it’s time to pay attention.

Lung cancer symptoms are often related to the location of the lesions, which settle into the tissues of the lung first. That’s why the early signs tend to reflect common cold, flu, and bronchial illnesses. Once the cancer moves beyond the bronchia, new symptoms arise.

The Later Lung Cancer Symptoms

Once lung cancer has metastasize and moved beyond the bronchia, the signs can expand dramatically. For instance, if the cancer has spread to the brain, then common signs might include blurred vision, stroke, and migraines. As you can see, these are serious symptoms that could be related to any number of illnesses. The point is this: don’t dismiss them.

In addition, signs such as depression, weight loss, fatigue, shoulder pain, difficulty swallowing, and hoarseness should be taken seriously.

When To See A Doctor

While you don’t want to be running to your doctor every time you get the sniffles, if the above signs show themselves, especially if they’re persistent, it’s better to be safe than sorry. This is particularly true if you’ve been a smoker or are currently smoking, or if you’ve ever been exposed to asbestos over an extended period.

It only takes a few hours out of your life to make an appointment and visit your doctor. Here are the signs that should inspire action:

- Unexplained loss of weight
- Persistent shortness of breath
- Stubborn respiratory infections that keep coming back
- A chronic cough that has no apparent cause
- Pain in your chest
- Wheezing
- Fatigue (again, if it has no apparent cause)

The point to remember is that your immune system is busy fighting the cancer. This is why you may find yourself constantly run down and battling nagging infections. It’s also one of the reason you may experience mood changes and irritability.

Conclusion

There is a caveat, unfortunately. Nearly a quarter of the people diagnosed with lung cancer never experience any symptoms at all. So while these lung cancer signs can serve as red flags, their absence doesn’t necessarily mean everything is just fine. Another reason to see your doctor for an annual checkup.

Learn more about the early symptoms of lung cancer and additional information about lung cancer, its stages and its treatments at: Lung Cancer Insights
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Silva

Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out of control cell growth. Lung cancer occurs when this uncontrolled cell growth begins in one or both lungs. The lungs are two large spongy organs located inside the chest cavity. Air is breathed into the trachea and moves down two tubes called bronchi, each going to a lung. Lung cancer occurs most often in adults between the ages of 40 and 70 who have smoked cigarettes for at least 20 years.

Over 1,400 victorians are diagnosed with lung cancer every year. Only about 2% of those diagnosed with lung cancer that has spread to other areas of the body are alive five years after the diagnosis, although the survival rates for lung cancers diagnosed at a very early stage are higher with approximately 49% surviving for five years or longer.

There are different types of lung cancer, depending on which cells are affected. The two main types are:

1. Small cell carcinom
Around 15 per cent of lung cancers are small cell carcinomas. This type of cancer spreads early and shows few early symptoms.

2. Non-small cell carcinoma
These cancers affect the cells that line the main bronchi.

Some lung tumors are metastatic from cancers elsewhere in the body. The lungs are a common site for metastasis. Since lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize very early in its course, it is a very life-threatening cancer and one of the most difficult cancers to treat. While lung cancer can spread to any organ in the body.

Symptoms of lung cancer are varied depending upon where and how widespread the tumor is. Warning signs of lung cancer are not always present or easy to identify. Lung cancer symptoms may take years before appearing, usually after the disease is in an advanced stage.

Below is the following symptoms of lung cancer include :

1. Pain in the chest shoulder or back from coughing

2. A cough that does not go away or gets worse over time

3. Breathlessness and swallowing

4. Recurring pneumonia or chest infections

5. Wheezing or hoarseness may signal blockage

6. Unexplained weight loss

Lung cancer is categorized into stages according to its spread. This helps the doctors to decide on appropriate treatments. Lung cancer treatments also depend on the type of cancer, age, health status and additional personal characteristics. As there is usually no single treatment for cancer, patients often receive a combination of therapies and palliative care. More than one type of therapy may be prescribed.

Although the diagnostic techniques provided important information, extracting cancer cells and looking at them under a microscope is the only absolute way to diagnose lung cancer. This procedure is called a biopsy. If the biopsy confirms lung cancer, a pathologist will determine whether it is non-small cell lung cancer or small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer has two stages which is :

1. In the limited stage, the tumor exists in one lung and in nearby lymph nodes.

2. In the extensive stage, the tumor has infected the other lung as well as other organs in the body.

For non-small cell lung cancer, these stages are labeled from I to IV. The lower numbers indicate earlier stages where the cancer has spread less :

1. Stage I is when the tumor is found only in one lung and in no lymph nodes.

2. Stage II is when the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes surrounding the infected lung.

3. Stage III is when the cancer has spread to lymph nodes around the trachea, chest wall and diaphragm on the same side as the infected lung.

4. Stage IV is when the cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the other lung or in the neck.

5. Stage IV is when the cancer has spread throughout the rest of the body and other parts of the lungs.

As with most cancers, the results are best if the cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages. However, some lung cancers aren’t diagnosed until they are quite advanced. Treatment may then be limited to easing the symptoms. Treatment decisions in lung cancer depend on whether SCLC or NSCLC. Treatment options for lung cancer include :

1. Chemotherapy is an anti cancer drugs are given to stop cancer cells from multiplying. This treatment is most effective for small cell carcinoma.

2. Surgery to remove the affected part of the lung or an entire lung. This offers the best chance of cure if the cancer has not spread beyond the lungs.

3. Radiotherapy use of x-rays to target and kill cancer cells. It may be used against some early stage lung cancers and to stop cancer in the lymph nodes from spreading further.

4. Targeted therapy is use of small molecules, often in tablet form that may be used after chemotherapy.

5. Clinical trials is a participation in a clinical trial that investigates the safety and effectiveness of novel drugs may be offered.

Cancers that are closely linked to certain behaviors are the easiest to prevent. If you are a current tobacco user, quitting can still greatly reduce your chances of getting cancer. The most important preventive measure you can take to avoid lung cancer is to quit smoking. Many products such as nicotine gum, nicotine sprays, nicotine inhalers have been successfully used to help people trying to quit smoking.

There are common causes of lung cancer :

1. A person who smokes more than one pack of cigarettes per day has a risk of developing lung cancer 20-25 times greater than someone who has never smoked.

2. Cigar and pipe smoking increases the risk of lung cancer but not as much as smoking cigarettes.

3. Asbestos fibers are silicate fibers that can persist for a lifetime in lung tissue following exposure to asbestos. The workplace is a common source of exposure to asbestos fibers.

4. Radon gas is a natural chemically inert gas that is a natural decay product of uranium. With an estimated 12% of lung-cancer deaths attributable to radon gas.

5. Air pollution from vehicles, industry, and power plants can raise the likelihood of developing lung cancer in exposed individuals

Screening techniques are designed to find cancer at the earliest stage so that the most treatment options are available. Most lung cancers are detected in the late stages of the disease after they have spread and are harder to treat. Possible lung cancer screening tests include analysis of sputum cells, fiberoptic examination of bronchial passages and low-dose spiral CT scans.

Cancer and cancer treatments can make a person feel too tired to exercise. However, studies show that, physical activity can boost the energy levels of a person who has cancer.

Regular exercise improves functioning of the immune system and may increase survival rates in some cases. Aim for five to 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most days of the week. But do not exercise without your doctor’s knowledge and support because inappropriate exercise may be harmful.

Get more info about cancer from this blog, Treatments For Cancer

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/lung-cancer-symptoms-treatments-1367468.html

It is estimated that a non-smoker’s lifetime risk of lung cancer is 1 in 100 while a smoker’s risk is 1 in 12. Among which group of people do you belong? Are you worried that your risk of developing lung cancer is high?

Lung cancer like any other forms of cancer is a much-dreaded disease. Because it doesn’t have visible symptoms during the early stage, it is often diagnosed during the later stage of the disease when the cancer has already spread to other organs and when treatment becomes difficult and survival rate is low.

People who are likely to develop lung cancer are those who have one or more of the following risk factors.

1. Women are more prone to develop lung cancer than men are. One study shows that a gene associate with abnormal cell growth was found to be more active in women than in men whether these women smoked or not. Some research also shows that smoking women are more susceptible to the cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarettes than their male counterparts.

2. Smoking is one of the greatest risk factor of lung cancer. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. A person’s risk of developing lung cancer increases with the number of years he or she has smoked. The longer the person has been smoking, the higher is his or her risk of developing lung cancer.

3. Sad news for people who have not even puffed a single cigarette but are continually exposed to cigarette smoke; your risk of developing lung cancer rises as much as 30 percent especially if you are exposed daily to second-hand smoking.

4. Exposure to radon, an odorless gas found in water and the ground, increases a person’s risk of developing lung cancer. Radon is considered to be the second most common cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking.

5. Our workplace can sometimes increase our risk of developing lung cancer. People who are exposed to carcinogens like arsenic, asbestos, chloromethyl ether and chromium compounds in their workplaces have higher risk of developing lung cancer. It is estimated that about 9,000 men and 900 women develop lung cancer annually due to workplace exposure of known carcinogenic compounds. The risk becomes even greater for people who smoke.

6. Women who undergo estrogen replacement may be at higher risk of developing lung cancer. According to researchers from the University of Pittsburg, the growth of non-small-cell lung cancer may be fueled by estrogen.

It is important that lung cancer be detected early. The symptomless early stages often mislead lung cancer patients into believing that there is nothing wrong with his or her health. Often it is already late and cancer has already spread to other areas before diagnosis is being made. Those who are well informed about the possibility and the level of their risk of developing lung cancer will be able to seek for medical check-up and professional opinion early before the disease can even spread.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

When you are diagnosed with initial stage lung cancer, remember there is always hope. Doctor will always tell you to be prepared and some will even ask you to get your legal affairs in order. Some doctors will say this is life terminal and you do not have long to live. People have to understand cancer and learn about it and not to be afraid of it because your chances of having cancer in your lifetime of one type or another are extremely high.

The ultimate most important step to surviving lung cancer is to decide that you want to live! Everybody wants things but not everybody is willing to do what it takes. Just saying that you want to live is not enough. You must truly want to survive and be willing to do whatever it takes to overcome anything and everything that gets in the way. That is the attitude, first and foremost, that you need to succeed.

These are things to do when you first diagnosed with early stage lung cancer;

1) Daily lifestyle change:

- Start intensive diet plan: Take a lot of ozone cleansing vegetables, try to avoid meat which commercially grown.

- Stay alert and healthy with exercise: Plan for a daily exercise to keep your body in tip top condition.

- Take sufficient daily intake of deep sea fish oil, apricot and apricot seed.

- Take combination of nutritional supplements that completely stop the spread of cancer cells.

- Stop smoking if you are a smoker.

2) Research, seeking support and advice:

- Talk to your doctor, follow doctor recommended treatment.

- Research for most lung cancer survivals’ experience.

- Read natural cancer treatment books.

Early stage lung cancer is not the end of your life; you stand a big chance surviving out from it. Talk to your family and maintaining a positive attitude: Say this to yourself “I decided that I was going to do everything that I could. I lived my life trying to be happy.” You stand a big chance to survive years to come…

Steven Saw has researched into lung cancer cases and would like to share his experience in lung cancer. So come visit his website that discuss about Lung Cancer Survival Rate and also detail of Lung Cancer Stages.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/early-stage-lung-cancer-survival-rate-1351222.html

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