Lung Cancer

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Lung Cancer

Mayo Clinic Lung Cancer

"Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, among both men and women. It claims more lives than colon, prostate, lymph and breast cancer combined. Yet most of these lung cancer deaths could have been prevented. That's because smoking accounts for nearly 90 percent of lung cancer cases. … Because lung cancer doesn't cause signs or symptoms in its earliest stages, it's often advanced by the time it's diagnosed. When symptoms do occur, the most common warning sign is a cough, which occurs when a tumor irritates the lining of the airways or blocks the passage of air. In addition to a new cough, be alert for: • "Smoker's cough" that worsens • Coughing up blood, even a small amount • Chest pain • Shortness of breath • New onset of wheezing • Repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis • Hoarseness that lasts more than two weeks Lung cancer also may cause fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss. If it has spread to other parts of your body (metastasized), you may have headaches or bone pain."

Highlighted Article

CancerHelp UK - Types of lung cancer

"There are important differences between lung cancer that started in the lungs and lung cancer that has spread to the lung from another part of the body. … Primary lung cancer (cancer that has started in the lungs) There are several different types of primary lung cancer. These are divided into two main types • Small cell lung cancer • Non-small cell lung cancer ... Secondary lung cancer (cancer that has spread to the lungs) Secondary cancer is cancer that has spread from somewhere else in the body. There are quite a few different cancers that can spread to the lungs, including breast cancer and bowel cancer."

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Lung Cancer

General

NEWS:

Knee Pain May Signal Lung Cancer "Heavy smokers with knee arthritis may be experiencing an early sign of a difficult-to-treat lung cancer, research shows. … About 85 percent of all lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Unless it is caught early, non-small cell lung cancer is difficult to treat. It spreads to the bones in one in five cases and is well advanced by the time it is diagnosed in half of all cases."

Spending More For Lung Cancer Treatment Did Not Substantially Increase Patients' Lives "The study by Harvard University, National Cancer Institute, and National Bureau of Economic Research researchers, published in the December 1, 2007 issue of Cancer, finds that average life-expectancy rose by less than one month between 1983 and 1997, while costs rose by over $20,000 per patient. Lung cancer remains the top cause of cancer death in the United States, with an estimated 160,390 deaths expected to occur in 2007. "

Survival in Untreated Early-Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Is Poor "Untreated stage I lung cancer is an inevitably fatal disease for a majority of patients, and treatment should not be delayed or deferred. Results of a study published in the July 2007 issue of Chest found that among untreated patients with stage I disease, the median survival was 9 months overall, 13 months for patients with T1 disease, and 14 months for those who had refused surgical intervention. "We know that at least half of patients with stage I lung cancers, and probably all patients with cancers smaller than 2 centimeters, are asymptomatic, meaning that their cancer was discovered incidentally," lead author Dan J. Raz, MD, from the department of surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, told Medscape. "Our study suggests that all patients with lung cancer should be offered prompt treatment, preferably surgical resection with lobectomy or wedge resection or otherwise with ablative therapies in patients too sick to undergo surgical resection." Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death both in the United States and worldwide. Overall, prognosis is poor, and even when detected at an early stage and surgically resected, the 5-year survival rate is only about 70%. "

Two Genes Identify Early-Stage Lung Cancer Patients with Excellent Prognosis

Women With Lung Cancer Survive Longer Than Men "Elderly women with non-small-cell lung cancer have significantly better cancer-specific, overall and relative survival rates than men, regardless of the type of treatment, according to the results of a study published in the May 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology."

ARTICLES:

JAMA patient page. Lung cancer.

Lung Tumors Are Top Cancer Killer

Surviving lung cancer

Types and stages of lung cancer

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

A five-gene signature and clinical outcome in non-small-cell lung cancer. (N Engl J Med. 2007) " CONCLUSIONS: Our five-gene signature is closely associated with relapse-free and overall survival among patients with NSCLC."

A gene expression signature predicts survival of patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer. (PLoS Med. 2006) " CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that gene expression signatures from several datasets can be reconciled. The resulting signature is useful in predicting survival of stage I NSCLC and might be useful in informing treatment decisions."

Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin d levels predict survival in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer patients. (J Clin Oncol. 2007) "CONCLUSION: Vitamin D may be associated with improved survival of patients with early-stage NSCLC, particularly among stage IB-IIB patients."

Clinical manifestation and survival of patients with small-cell lung cancer. (J Med Assoc Thai. 2007)

High risk of deep vein thrombosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a cohort study of 493 patients. (J Thorac Oncol. 2007)

Impact of Smoking and Smoking Cessation on Lung Cancer Mortality in the Asia-Pacific Region. (Am J Epidemiol. 2007)

Isolated knee monoarthritis heralding resectable non small-cell lung cancer. A paraneoplastic syndrome not previously described. (Ann Rheum Dis. 2007) "CONCLUSION: Knee monoarthritis may represent in some cases a paraneoplastic syndrome heralding NSCLC in an early stage."

Large-Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Lung (Cancer Control. 2006)

Lung Cancer in Individuals Less Than 50 Years of Age. (Lung. 2007)

Lung cancer in never smokers - a different disease. (Nat Rev Cancer. 2007)

Lung Cancer Incidence in Never Smokers (Journal of Clinical Oncology 2007) "RESULTS: Truncated age-adjusted incidence rates of lung cancer among never smokers age 40 to 79 years in these six cohorts ranged from 14.4 to 20.8 per 100,000 person-years in women and 4.8 to 13.7 per 100,000 person-years in men, supporting earlier observations that women are more likely than men to have non–smoking-associated lung cancer."

Lung Cancer: Diagnosis and Management (Am Fam Physician 2007) "Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, with an average five-year survival rate of 15 percent. Smoking remains the predominant risk factor for lung cancer. Lung cancers are categorized as small cell carcinoma or non-small cell carcinoma (e.g., adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma). These categories are used for treatment decisions and determining prognosis. Signs and symptoms may vary depending on tumor type and extent of metastases. … For stages I through IIIA non-small cell carcinoma, surgical resection is preferred. Advanced non-small cell carcinoma is treated with a multi-modality approach that may include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and palliative care. Chemotherapy (combined with radiotherapy for limited disease) is the mainstay of treatment for small cell carcinoma."

[Lung cancer, when to admit?] (Rev Port Pneumol. 2006) "In conclusion, although admission allows a rapid appro- ach to the patient with LC and the rendering of specia- lised care in the setting of curative or palliative treatment, it carries the risks inherent to the exposure of individuals already debilitated by a neoplastic disease, to a hospital environment. Moreover, the great majority of patients will spend their last living days at the hospital, away from the unique supportive conditions that their own families could otherwise provide. Key-words: Lung cancer, admission, palliative care, com- plications."

Multifocal strokes as the presentation of occult lung cancer. (J Neurooncol. 2007) "Cancer patients are hypercoagulable through a variety of mechanisms and are at significant risk for ischemic stroke. Though usually occurring in the later stages of neoplastic disease, stroke can rarely be the first manifestation of an occult malignancy."

Negligible influence of comorbidity on prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer: A population-based study in the Netherlands. (Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2006)

Predictive and prognostic factors in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC)--analysis from routine clinical practice. (Anticancer Res. 2006)

Prevalence and predictors of symptoms in the terminal stage of lung cancer: A community study. (Chest. 2007)

Primary lung cancer and extrapulmonary malignancy. (Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2007) "Conclusions: In cases of operability, standard resection must be the method of choice, because of its best survival rates. The results support the demand of an exact and short-term oncological care system to detect early stages of SPLC for patients operated upon for tumors at different sites."

Prognostic Factors in Stage III Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. (Clin Lung Cancer. 2007)

Reduced lung cancer deaths attributable to decreased tobacco use in Massachusetts. (Cancer Causes Control. 2007) "BACKGROUND: Approximately 88% of the lung cancer deaths in men and 71% in women occurring in the US are attributable to cigarette smoking …CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in tobacco smoking are a major factor in the decrease in lung cancer mortality rates. Sustained progress in tobacco control is essential."

Relationships among pain, fatigue, insomnia, and gender in persons with lung cancer. (Oncol Nurs Forum. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: For people newly diagnosed with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy, multiple symptoms occur simultaneously rather than in isolation; a symptom cluster exists, consisting of pain, fatigue, and insomnia; and no relationship was found among gender, pain, fatigue, and insomnia. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: By understanding this symptom cluster, healthcare providers can target specific troublesome symptoms to optimize symptom management and achieve the delivery of high-quality cancer care."

Retrospective study of patients with pathologic N1-stage II non-small cell lung cancer. (Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2007)

Risk factors for occult mediastinal metastases in clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer. (Ann Thorac Surg. 2007)

Risk factors for recurrence and unfavorable prognosis in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer and a tumor diameter of 20 mm or less. (J Thorac Oncol. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Poor differentiation of tumor was the only risk factor for recurrence and an unfavorable prognosis for stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients with tumor diameters of < or =20 mm."

Seasonal and geographical variations in lung cancer prognosis in Norway Does Vitamin D from the sun play a role? (Lung Cancer. 2007)

Sex Differences in Lung Cancer Survival: Do Tumors Behave Differently in Elderly Women? (Journal of Clinical Oncology 2007) "Conclusion: In this national, population-based sample, elderly women with early lung cancer had better risk-adjusted survival regardless of the type of treatment. That sex differences were observed among untreated patients suggests that lung cancer in women may have a different natural history."

Skeletal metastases in non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective study. (Lung Cancer. 2007)

[Small cell lung cancer.] (Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2007)

Smoking cessation after diagnosis of lung cancer is associated with a beneficial effect on performance status. (Chest. 2006) " CONCLUSION: Patients who quit smoking after the diagnosis of NSCLC maintained a better PS at 6 and 12 months regardless of disease stage, age, race, sex, therapy types, and comorbidities than those who continued to smoke."

[Smoking cessation in lung cancer patients: Is it worthwhile?] (Rev Port Pneumol. 2006) "Some studies point towards the existence of more chemoresistant tumors in smoking patients. Although there is a need for more studies in this area, it seems by this group of evidence that smoking cessation in lung cancer patients is in fact worthwhile. "

Supplemental Multivitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Folate Does Not Reduce the Risk of Lung Cancer. (Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007)

[The epidemiology of lung cancer.] (Pneumonol Alergol Pol. 2007) "Worldwide, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality in males and females. In the Europe lung cancer accounts for 21% of all cancer cases in males and 29% of all cancer deaths."

The incidence and impact of low body mass index on patients with operable lung cancer. (Clin Nutr. 2007)

The side of pneumonectomy influences long-term survival in stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer. (Ann Thorac Surg. 2007)

Trends in lung cancer among young European women: The rising epidemic in France and Spain. (Int J Cancer. 2007)

Women with pathologic stage I, II, and III non-small cell lung cancer have better survival than men. (Chest. 2006) " CONCLUSIONS: Despite uniform staging and treatment, the 5-year survival rate of women with stage I to III NSCLC was better than men overall and at each stage. Women are more likely to have adenocarcinoma, to present with earlier stage disease, and to be younger. Interestingly, women respond better to neoadjuvant chemotherapy."

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