June 5th, 2008 by Peter
Lung cancer can cause complications, such as:
Fluid in the chest (pleural effusion). Lung cancer can cause fluid to accumulate in the space that surrounds the lungs in the chest cavity (pleural space). Pleural effusion can result from cancer spreading outside the lungs or in reaction to lung cancer inside the lungs. Fluid accumulating in the chest can cause shortness of breath. Treatments are available to drain the fluid from your chest and reduce the risk that pleural effusion will occur again. Cancer that spreads to the pleura is considered inoperable, so surgery isn’t an option for treatment.
Cancer that spreads to other parts of the body (metastasis). Lung cancer often spreads (metastasizes) to other parts of the body — most commonly the opposite lung, brain, bones, liver and adrenal glands. Cancer that spreads can cause signs and symptoms, including pain, nausea, headaches or others based on what organ is affected. In some cases, treatments are available for isolated metastasis, but in most cases, the goal of treatment for metastasis is only to relieve signs and symptoms.
Death. Unfortunately, survival rates haven’t improved for people diagnosed with lung cancer. In most cases, the disease is fatal. Almost 60 percent, or three out of every five people, diagnosed with lung cancer die within a year. Keep in mind, however, that this number includes people diagnosed with all types of lung cancer at all stages of the disease. People diagnosed at the earliest stages have the greatest chances for a cure. Your doctor can discuss more relevant statistics about your chances for survival with you.
Source: mayoclinic.com
May 25th, 2008 by Avatar
Promoters of the alternative no-prick alternative to insulin intake have received another blow with industry leaders announcing their fears of detecting several cases of lung cancer in people who were receiving them under clinical trials. This is another in a long list of blows that the product has received and with many pharmaceuticals pulling the plug on research, the outlook seems bleak for the new diabetes treatment option. Many have been searching for alternative treatments for diabetes who have long been plagued by needles they use for administering the drug to supplement their insulin levels. The products were supposed to take away the pain and fuss of using syringes which is still the preferred method of administration.
May 17th, 2008 by Avatar
Lung cancer that has resulted from inhalation of asbestos from the environment or through work related activities are showing that using chemotherapy for treatment is not getting any positive results. Called Malignant Plural Mesothelioma (MPM), the disease is more related to asbestos exposure which causes the lungs to develop lung cancer. The material was hailed as a miracle construction material and was used widely in the West due to heat, electrical and chemical resistance. It was only later that the material was found to induce cancer that had most nations ban the substance from all new building materials, and necessitating the removal of already installed ones from all types of structures. Clean-up crews without proper protection also suffer from the disease and oncologists are finding it hard to find proper treatments of the killer disease.
May 13th, 2008 by Avatar
Premature babies that were delivered way before their bodies have fully developed receive a myriad of drugs to augment their still weak bodies that should have developed further in the mother’s womb. Studies have shown that babies who were delivered prematurely have a higher risk of lung problems due to the inability of their lungs to work properly without the administration of surfactants that are used to prevent their lungs from collapsing. Full term babies have fully developed lungs that can function unassisted but premature babies need the administration of surfactants (substances that prevents the lung’s air sacs from sticking together preventing them from inflating properly to absorb oxygen) to their lungs to get them to function properly. Without them, their lungs would constantly collapse (due to premature development) and can cause death. Current administration methods have shown that they can cause more harm to the infant in later life where lung infections become assured. The development of better administration techniques is underway to minimize the problems associated with their use to help their lungs strengthen in time as they mature.
