The 4 Stages of Lung Cancer By Randolph Meresmaa

Lung cancer is a disease that is very hard to cure with conventional medicine. About 80% of all cases of newly diagnosed lung cancer are the non-small cell type (NSCLC). A majority of these patients will
have inoperable disease on the basis of distant metastases or locally advanced disease. For the remaining patients with early stage disease as well as selected patients with locally advanced disease, surgery remains the best hope for cure.

Less than 15% of all patients can presently be expected to be cured of their disease. The changes that a patient has of being cured depends of the stage he/she is at. There are 4 stages of lung cancer and each stages requires different treatments, although none of these treatments unfortunately is very effective. Doctors may use several tests to accurately stage a lung cancer, including laboratory tests, X-rays, CT scans, bone scans, and MRI scans.

The 4 stages of lung cancer are

1) Stage 1 disease - Patients that have this early stage typically have no symptoms and most are cured with primary surgical excision. The tumors are mostly found on a routine chest radiograph. Nowadays many tumors are detected while they are still very small with computed tomography (CT). Morbidity and mortality increase with higher stages of disease and extended resections. The overall five-year survival for patients with completely resected stage I NSCLC is approximately 75%.

2) Stage 2 disease - Patients with T1-2N1 represent a small subset in the spectrum of this disease, usually comprising less than 10% of patients coming to surgery. The overall five-year survival of patients with Stage 2 tumors is approximately 50-60%. In this stage the tumors also start to invade the mediastinal pleura, fat, nerves, and pericardium, but not the major mediastinal vessels or organs.

3) Stage 3 disease - The preffered treatment for for patients in Stage 3 A is complete resection via lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. Patients with left upper lobe tumors. have the best prognosis of all, with five-year survival rates as high as 42% when completely resected. Computed Tomography (CT) scanning 5 year survival rate is approximately 30% following complete surgical resection. Patients with Stage 3 B are considered inoperable. The five-year survival for patients with
T4 (carina) N0 tumors undergoing tracheal sleeve pneumonectomy has been reported to approach 20%.

4) Stage 4 disease - Surgery for this stage is only limited for young, healthy patients with a solitary site of metastatic disease, and an easily resectable primary tumor contained within the chest. Five-year survival in these patients should approach 20%. Even if a cure is not obtained, survival is prolonged and quality of life improved.

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General Facts of Lung Cancer By K. Ngo

Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled damaged cell growth in tissues of the lungs. This growth may spread to other organs, adjacent or non-adjacent tissue beyond the lungs. Lung cancer accounts for one of the most cancer-related deaths in both men and women, is responsible for 1.3 million deaths annually worldwide. In 2008, an estimated of 1961,840 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer, accounting for about one-third of all cancer deaths. More women have died each year from lung cancer than from breast cancer sine 1987. After several decade of increase, a female lung cancer death rate is now in a plateau and becomes the second cause of death behind breast cancer. From 1990-1994, death rates among men have decreased by 1.3% per year. Both indicators are good signs showing a decrease in smoking rates over the past 30 years in both men and women.

Just a bit over 215,000 new cases of lung cancer, accounts for an estimated of 15% of all cancer, were diagnosed in 2008. For treatment purposes, lung cancer is classified as small cell or non-small cell. These cells are treated differently. Treatment options vary by type of cells and the stages of cancer. Treatment methods may include one or a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biological therapy and surgery. Because the cancer has usually spread by the time it is discovered, radiation and chemotherapy are often used, and if necessary, in combination with surgery. Common lung cancer symptoms may include shortness of breath, persistent cough, or coughing up blood, chest pain, voice change, weight loss and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis. Smoking cigarette is no doubt the biggest risk factor to lung cancer. Risk increases with the amount and the duration of cigarette smoking. There are many cancer-causing chemical compounds in tobacco smoke. Smoking cigars and pipes also cause lung cancer even though not as high a risk as smoking cigarette. Second hand smoke, occupational or environmental pollution or exposure to radon, asbestos and certain metals such as chromium, cadmium and arsenic, are factors to risk of lung cancer. Genetic plays an important role in the development of the disease, especially in those with the disease at a younger age.

Early detection has not proved to reduce mortality. Chest X-ray and bronchial passages fiberoptic examination is not too effective in reducing lung cancer deaths. Between 2000 and 2003, the 1-year relative survival rate has increased to 41% compared to 35% during the 1975 - 1979 period. However, only 15% of all the patients survive past the 5-year relative in all stages of the cancer combined.

Live well, eat healthy, exercise, stay optimist, don't ever smoke or quit smoking will help prevent getting cancer in the first place.

Paying attention to the water you drink daily is one way to prevent cancer development. About 70% of the bodies' weight is water. It is the very thing the body needs most. Water is accountable for many body functions. Drinking enough clean and fresh water not only improves your overall health and well-being, it may also prevent you from many ailments and sicknesses. Give your body the quality water it deserves and in turn, it will serve you with the optimal health and appearance you have always desired. For the best possible water for your health, right from the faucet, for pennies per gallon, please visit Drinking Water Safety. After all, who wants to fill 70% of their bodies' weight with impurities, toxins and chemical treated water?

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All You Need to Know About Stage 4 Lung Cancer By Martin Sejas

There is nobody out there that would like to be told they have been diagnosed with cancer, let alone stage 4 lung cancer. It would certainly have to be one of the worst diseases to have. You may know a loved one that currently has it or you might have it yourself, whatever the case, it is useful to inform oneself about this topic as this article will.

Stage 4

Just in case you don't know how cancers are classified, they are classified in 4 stages. Stage 1, 2, 3 and 4. Stage 4 is the most advanced stage which means that the cancer is no longer restricted to your lungs and chest and that it has spread to other parts of the body.

Causes

Scientific studies show that 90% of all lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco. Other causes include passive smoking, exposure to asbestos and air pollution.

Sign & Symptoms

The following are symptoms of the presence of lung cancer in your body:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Coughing up blood

However, the symptoms for stage 4 lung cancer are different and you can detect whether the cancer has reached this stage:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Seizures
- Stroke symptoms

Treatment

The treatment available for lung cancer is pretty much the same for all stages of the disease, but as with all other cancers, your chances of survival depend on how early you were diagnosed. The 3 most common treatments for stage 4 lung cancer are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Hopefully, this article has given you a concise yet very informative summary on all there is to know about stage 4 lung cancer.

Martin Sejas is a guest columnist of http://www.Stage4CancerSite.com/ a website focused on providing individuals important yet practical information on stage 4 lung cancer and other important issues related to cancer.

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What is Pleural Mesothelioma? By Ally J Smith

Pleural Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is most often found in people who have, at some point during their lives been exposed to high levels of asbestos. Asbestos is a type of naturally occurring mineral that was, for many years mixed with cement, plaster and paint and used in the interiors of houses. It was used as it is highly resistant to heat and is surprisingly strong. Unfortunately asbestos is made up of thin fibres which have since been found to be highly toxic to humans when they get into the body and it is these fibres that can be breathed in and cause a large number of health problems.

Due to the way that asbestos acts once inside the body it is usually many years later that asbestos related Pleural Mesothelioma is noticed. Pleural Mesothelioma is normally diagnosed when there is a change in the thin layer of membranes that are in the chest. When this pleural lining thickens or starts to calcify it is known as pleural plaques. These plaques in themselves are not always a definite precursor to cancer but they can greatly affect the function of the lungs and they can signal the start of Pleural Mesothelioma.

Pleural Mesothelioma may begin in the pleura but it can soon radiate outwards to the abdomen, the heart and the outer wall of the chest. When this happens and a diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma is made the prognosis is not good and many patients with Pleural Mesothelioma are not expected to live much longer than 12 months or so. With this in mind it is critical that anyone who has had previous exposure to asbestos is regularly tested for any changes in the pleura as this is an early sign that Pleural Mesothelioma could be imminent. When Pleural Mesothelioma is suspected early enough the patient can be treated and this can help them to live much longer than someone who has been diagnosed with full blown Pleural Mesothelioma.

Some of the symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma are pain in the lower back, shortness of breath and pain towards the side of the chest. Some people may have problems when swallowing, have a cough that will not go away and in some cases a patient might even be coughing up blood. Some people also find that they start to lose weight quite rapidly once the disease sets in.

As the outlook for a person with Pleural Mesothelioma is not good as treatment can be quite limited due to the aggressive nature of the disease. If the disease is caught quickly enough surgery can help to remove the pleura that are affected and the patient will live for longer than someone with advanced Pleural Mesothelioma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also options that some doctors will use to further extend the life of their patient but this does need to be carefully considered. Painkillers are used to keep the patient as comfortable as possible and other complimentary therapies can be used.

Looking for information about Mesothelioma? Our website provides many useful information including mesothelioma symptoms, mesothelioma treatments and mesothelioma stages. The site also provided details information about different type of mesothelioma: Malignant Mesothelioma, Pleural Mesothelioma, Pericardial mesothelioma and Peritoneal mesothelioma

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Mesothelioma - How to Deal With It By Bernice Eker

To be completely honest, Mesothelioma cancer is uncommon and is generally caused by contact with asbestos. Asbestos, while very popular in earlier years for house building, has since been regarded as a cancer-causer and it generally causes over two-thousand cases of this type of cancer in the United Kingdom every single year.

There are a few different symptoms that you should watch out for and there are many different treatments that are available if you do believe you have Mesothelioma cancer. First and foremost, you should be warned that there are two different kinds of Mesothelioma cancer and many different Mesothelioma risks.

Some of the very first symptoms can be anything from a coughing fit all the way to chest pain and difficulty breathing. Generally, this type of Mesothelioma would be pleural, as it affects the lungs. If you are experiencing any abdomen pain or your stomach becomes swollen, peritoneal Mesothelioma may be the type of cancer you have.

The first is pleural Mesothelioma and the second type is peritoneal Mesothelioma. Both of these cancers have different symptoms and treatments. Surgery is one of the most common treatments for pleural Mesothelioma which tends to make the lining of your lungs thicket. Surgery can not be used to treat peritoneal Mesothelioma though, so be aware of that.

Chemotherapy is another treatment that is extremely popular as it can reduce and eliminate symptoms most of the time. Although, chemotherapy when treating Mesothelioma cancer generally does not work alone and needs a back up treatment such as radioactive cancer treatment, so that is something to be aware of if you are looking to chemotherapy as an answer to all of your prayers.

When it comes to filing a Mesothelioma claim, there are many different ways to do it and you need to be sure that you learn everything you can, so you can make a solid claim. There are many different things to consider when filing this type of claim and it is very important that you are very organized and you are taking notes of everything that you remember. All of the experience and details are critical when it comes to a claim, for you could be suing companies for millions of dollars.

If you believe you may have gotten this type of cancer from your job, it is very important that you take your job conditions, work clothing, everything into detail so you can be as accurate as possible. Nailing down all of the details of your job is a great way to ensure that your claim will go through without any problems and if you are curious to know exactly what a Mesothelioma claim should cover it should be: medical expenses, pain and suffering expenses, loss of income and any shortened life expectancy.

Mesothelioma cancer is a terrible cancer and it can be fatal if not treated right away, so it is very important to deal with it right away if you begin to experience some of the symptoms of Mesothelioma.

Bernice Eker is an expert on mesothelioma and wants to help people by sharing her expertise.

For more information on the mesothelioma visit: http://mesotheliomanotes.com/

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