Smoking increases from 10 to 25 times the risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer. This is by far the main risk factor.

Other factors may also play a role, such as:

* Secondhand smoke;
* Exposure to carcinogens (asbestos, radon, gasoline fumes, etc.).
* Smoke wood stove;
* Frequent exposure to air pollution;
* Have a diet low in fruits and vegetables.

Preventing

* Do not smoke or quit.
* Avoid secondhand smoke.
* Adopt an anticancer diet (more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, less red meats and sausages; avoid excess calories).
* In an area where radon levels are high, to analyze the air in his house to check the radon level.

Treatments

Treatment depends on several factors: the type of cancer (small cell or not), the degree of progress or “stage” of cancer, the health of the person and, obviously, what the person wants reached.

Medical treatment

* Small cell cancer. It usually offers a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
* Cancer non-small cell. Surgery if the tumor is localized and can be extracted. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy if the tumor is advanced, to slow its growth.
* Psychological and social support. The psychological and social support can help the person with cancer to have a better quality of life. Sometimes it helps to prolong life.

Lung cancer can be treated by various therapies that are often used in combination to provide optimal outcomes for patients. Surgical resection is the surgical process in which the tumor, and is usually recommended if the cancer has not metastasized (or spread) outside the lungs to other parts of the body.

There are several options for doing that may involve resection of minimally invasive surgery or full operation. The technique used will depend on many factors, especially the size and stage of cancer and tumors are accessible to a surgeon.

Thoracotomy performed by a surgeon makes an incision through the chest wall and the average sternotomy performed by entering the chest cavity through the sternum. The second method is usually used in surgery for lung cancer, but they simply involve the discomfort and prolonged patient stay in hospital with a recovery period longer.

Alternative operating procedures including anterior limited Thoracotomy (ALT) which involves a small incision to allow entry, again through the front of the chest. It should be emphasized that the incision is much smaller than the standard or average Thoracotomy sternotomy. An alternative is the anterior axillary Thoracotomy (AAT) which involves a small incision in the chest near the armpit, but eventually, there was postero-lateral Thoracotomy (PLT) which involves the incision of the patient’s back or side of the trunk.

Even with this improved surgical techniques, a patient will experience pain big enough if the operation involves opening the chest (sometimes called the doctor as “cracking the chest”).

As a consequence of prolonged recovery and the patient discomfort, surgical techniques have been developed that do not involve large-scale operation – it is called, minimal-invasive technique.

Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT) using a high powered video cameras and hi-definition screen in combination with the diagnostic scans, such as CT or PET scans, to target tumors in the lungs of patients. Incision is required is much smaller and do not need to open the chest cavity resulting in much less discomfort for patients and greatly reduced recovery period. Using the video display, the surgeon can resect the tumor that had been identified during the diagnosis stage and phase.

Some doctors do caution, however the use of VAT, as the traditional Thoracotomy can reveal tumors and other metastatic cancers that have not been found in the scans and initial diagnosis. If this still has not found the cancer can return and the patient will become sick again and for this reason, VAT is usually recommended for early stage (I & II) and cancer has not spread to other parts of the lungs and body.

This is very normal for any surgical procedure must be accompanied by a phase of chemotherapy or radiation treatments to ensure that cancer patients have been completely removed or killed. How the treatment and at what stage a particular therapy will be recommended will be determined by the type and stage of lung cancer patients have.

No Smoking Signs are reading this, then you have already taken the first step. Thinking about how to quit smoking! The decision to stop smoking can seem overwhelming, but with help from this guide and support your family and friends can do it! Half of all people who have ever smoked have quit, so can you. If you’ve tried to quit before smoking, but did not work, you can use what you learned before you to be successful this time. It can be very difficult to quit, but once you do, you’ll look better, smell better, feel better and be healthier!

Why should I quit?

Everyone knows that smoking can cause cancer when you get older, but did you know that also has negative effects on your body right now? A cigarette contains about 4000 chemicals, and at least 43 of the chemicals cause cancer in humans. Some of the other chemicals found in poisons. Some of the worst are:

* Nicotine: a deadly poison
* Arsenic: used in rat poison
* Methane: a component of rocket fuel
* Ammonia: found in floor cleaner
* Cadmium: used in batteries
* Carbon Monoxide: part of the toxic waste of the car
* Formaldehyde: used to preserve (keep in perfect condition) body tissues
* Butane: lighter fluid
* Hydrogen Cyanide: the poison used in gas chambers

Each time you inhale smoke from a cigarette, small amounts of these chemicals get into your blood through your lungs. They travel to all parts of your body, where they can cause damage.

# Tests magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses powerful magnets and radio waves to make modern computers detailed cross-sectional images. These images are similar to those produced with computed tomography, but are even more accurate in detecting spread of lung cancer to the brain or spinal cord.

# The positron emission tomography (PET): Using a sensitive tracer of low dose that accumulates in cancerous tissues. Bone scans require the injection of a small amount of radioactive substance into a vein. This substance accumulates in abnormal areas of bone that may arise from the spread of cancer.

# Sputum cytology: is examined under the microscope a sample of phlegm to see if it contains cancer cells. * Needle biopsy: A needle is inserted into the mass while the lungs are displayed on a computer tomograph. After removing a sample of the mass and is seen through a microscope for cancer cells.

# Bronchoscopy: It introduces a flexible, lighted tube through the mouth into the bronchi. This procedure can help find tumors located centrally or obstructions in the lungs. It can also be used to take biopsies or remove fluids to be examined with a microscope to see if they contain cancer cells.

# Mediastinoscopy: A small cut is made in the neck and a lighted tube is inserted behind the sternum. You can use special instruments that are managed through this tube to take a sample of tissue from the mediastinal lymph nodes (along the windpipe and the major areas of bronchial tubes). The observation of the samples under a microscope can show if cancer cells.

# Bone marrow biopsy: A needle is used to remove a cylindrical core of bone of approximately 1.5 millimeters wide and 2.5 inches long. Usually, the sample is taken from the back of the hip bone and studied under a microscope to see if cancer cells.

# Blood tests: often perform certain blood tests to help detect if lung cancer has spread to the liver or bones, as well as to diagnose certain paraneoplastic syndromes.

Because lung cancer symptoms often do not manifest until the disease is advanced, only 15 percent of cases are detected in its early stages. Many lung cancer cases are diagnosed in early stage by accident, which means that are detected as a result of medical tests carried out due to other unrelated health problem.

A lung biopsy was used to confirm or refute a possible diagnosis of cancer as well as provide valuable information to determine the appropriate treatment. If it is eventually detected lung cancer, additional tests are carried out to determine how far the disease has spread, including:

History and physical examination: The medical history is recorded risk factors and symptoms in the patient. The physical examination provides information about signs of lung cancer and other health problems.

Radiological studies: These studies use X-rays, magnetic fields, sound waves or radioactive substances to create images inside the body. Often using multiple imaging studies to detect lung cancer and determine the body part where you have spread. It performs a chest x-ray to see if there is any mass or spot on the lungs.

A computed tomography (CT): Gives more detailed information about the size, shape and position of a tumor and can help detect enlarged lymph nodes that may contain a cancer from the lung. CT scans are more sensitive than routine chest radiographs for detecting early-stage cancers.

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. A greater number of cigarettes they smoke daily newspapers and the younger you start smoking, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer. Exposure to high levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos can also increase the risk.

Common symptoms of lung cancer include:

1. A cough that does not go away and worsens over time
2. Constant chest pain
3. Cough with bloody sputum
4. Shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness
5. Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis
6. Loss of appetite or weight loss
7. Fatigue

There are many types of lung cancer. Each grows and spreads differently and treated differently. Treatment also depends on the stage or how far along you are. Treatment can include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Smoking is considered the primary cause of lung cancer and asbestos as the primary cause of mesothelioma. Asbestos can also cause lung cancer. Smoking does not cause mesothelioma. People who have been exposed to asbestos and also smoke have up to 90 times more likely to be affected with lung cancer than those who do not smoke.

Some of the symptoms of lung cancer are similar to the symptoms of mesothelioma. Lung cancer cell carcinoma and small cell cancer can cause symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, bloody sputum, chest pain and wheezing. Adenocarcinomas are most common on the outside of the lung and can cause pain in the chest when breathing, coughing and breathing problems. Sometimes there are patients who have no symptoms when the disease is first detected through a chest x-ray.

Age is an important factor in cancer development. Some types of cancer such as Wilms’ tumor, acute lymphocytic leukemia and Burkitt’s lymphoma almost exclusively affect young people. The reason why these cancers occur in young people is not well understood, but genetic predisposition is one of the factors. However, most cancers are more common in older people. Many, such as prostate, stomach and colon, are more likely to occur after age 60. In developed countries, over 60 percent of cancers occur in people over 65 years. The risk of developing cancer doubles every five years after 25 years of age. The increased rate of cancer in the population is probably due to a combination of increased and prolonged exposure to carcinogens associated with a weakened immune system, and all relating to a longer life.

This is precisely what is shown in an article that was just released. The authors have succeeded in making mice with tumors in the lung inhale doxorubicin, a common drug to treat this cancer, wrapped in a layer of fat to be absorbed better. They have also added a couple of inhibitors to prevent the emergence of resistance against treatment. Tumors of mice dramatically reduced in size, and minimal side effects. It is a very promising result. Could open new ways of treating lung cancer, which remains the leading cause of cancer death in the light of both sexes.

In a group of passive smokers (exposed to smoke of others) of New Jersey, the cancer risk was reduced by almost half with an additional cup of orange vegetables every day.

In another study, researchers analyzed a group of eighty-eight women from Hong Kong, including many who, despite not having ever smoked, had lung cancer. Some foods provide a high degree of protection against lung tumors, especially green leafy vegetables, carrots, tofu and other soy products, fresh fruits and fresh fish. I recommend reading the article (here a wonderful antidote to prevent lung cancer)

Also in that study vegetables exerted a profound effect. Women who ate the most carrots, green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits reduced their chances of getting cancer by 90%, 70% and 40% respectively.