Lung Cancer - Screening
At this moment in time, there is no particularly useful single test that can be considered 100% reliable for the early detection of lung cancer. Unfortunately unless someone is undergoing a health screen for something completely unrelated, lung cancer is very often only discovered in the later stages of the disease when it is often too late to do anything but offer palliative treatment.
It is usually at this later stage in the development of lung cancer when the signs and symptoms become apparent it is diagnosed. Unfortunately it has usually spread to other parts of the body by this time.
Therefore Screening is looking for cancer before a person has developed any symptoms of the disease.
If discovered in the early part of the disease (Stage I), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), has a cure rate of nearly 70%. This survival rate is far higher than the cure rate for patients whose lung cancer is not discovered until after their symptoms have appeared. This proves that lung cancer screening would be a very worthwhile activity, and could save many 1,000's of lives a year.
There is an urgent need throughout the world to discover more effective ways of diagnosing lung cancer in advance of it getting to an inoperable stage, and to then create a screening program where those most at risk can ensure their lung cancer is detected as early as possible.
If doctors where able to detect a patient's lung cancer earlier there would be a lot more choices for effective treatment and management of the disease which would greatly improve the future outlook for the patient.
Until recently, the only available screening methods designed to detect lung cancer at an early and hopefully curable stage used a variety of chest x-ray or sputum cytology and this could be a long drawn out process. Researchers are constantly looking for methods of discovering changes on the molecular level in blood or sputum, and this research is ongoing.
In the meantime, new methods are being developed and tested for the early detection of lung cancer in its most treatable stages. These methods include more up to date methods of using computer assisted screening such as Computed Tomography Scan (CAT or CT scan) and Computerized Molecular Analysis of Airway Cell Markers (CMAACM).
Lung Cancer - Overview
Lung Cancer is a type of cancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. Many lung cancers begin in the bronchi though others can start in other parts of the lungs. Lung cancer also has a tendency to form in the glands below the bronchi.
Lung Cancer - Probabilities
Lung cancer causes up to 30% of all cancer related deaths, and it is the 2nd leading cause of death among both men and women in western society. 85% of all lung cancers are caused by a person's smoking habit or just by breathing in the second-hand smoke of others.
Lung Cancer - Screening
At this moment in time, there is no particularly useful single test that can be considered 100% reliable for the early detection of lung cancer. Unfortunately unless someone is undergoing a health screen for something completely unrelated, lung cancer is very often only discovered in the later stages of the disease when it is often too late to do anything but offer palliative treatment.
Lung Cancer - Symptoms
The most common indicators and symptoms of lung cancer include the following: Fatigue Shortness of breath and wheezing (dyspnoea) A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis Constant chest pain Coughing up blood (bloody sputum) (haemoptysis) Swelling of the neck and face Fever Loss of appetite and Weight loss (anorexia) Hoarse voice
Lung Cancer Treatment Options - Radiation
In many cases of lung cancer, surgery is not an option. This may be because of the advanced stage of the cancer, the location of the tumor or tumors, or because of the overall general health of the patient. In those cases, the oncologist may suggest radiation therapy to treat lung cancer. Even if surgery is an option, the doctor may suggest irradiation either before therapy to shrink the tumor or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Lung Cancer - Trends by Ethnicity, Sex and Race
In the USA and many other western countries, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Lung cancer has been found to be the leading cancer killer among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanic males.