Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States. While only 12-15% of patients with lung cancer are being cured with today’s treatments, more than 90% of lung cancers are preventable.
The overwhelming majority of lung cancers, about 85%, are caused by cigarette smoking. There are currently fifty million smokers in the U.S. and another fifty million are ex-smokers.
This means that approximately one third of the population of our country is at high risk for this terrible disease and for multiple other tobacco-related diseases, including cancers of the mouth, tongue, throat, larynx, esophagus pancreas, bladder and kidney, and also coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, gangrene of the legs and stroke.
Radon is considered to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. today. Radon gas can come up through the soil under a home or building and enters through gaps and cracks in the foundation or insulation, as well as through pipes, drains, walls or other openings. Radon causes between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. About 12% of all lung cancer deaths are linked to radon.
Radon problems have been found in every state. The EPA estimates that nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. has indoor radon levels at or above the level at which homeowners should take action – 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) on a yearly average. Radon can be a problem in schools and workplaces as well.
Because you cannot see or smell radon, the only way to tell if you are being exposed to the gas is by measuring radon levels. Exposure to radon in combination with cigarette smoking, greatly increases the risk of lung cancer. That means for smokers, exposure to radon is an even greater health risk.
Another leading cause of lung cancer is on-the-job exposure to cancer-causing substances or carcinogens. Asbestos is a well-known, work-related substance that can cause lung cancer, but there are many others, including uranium, arsenic, and certain petroleum products.
Lung cancer takes many years to develop. However, changes in the lung can begin almost as soon as a person is exposed to cancer-causing substances. Soon after exposure begins, a few abnormal cells may appear in the lining of the bronchi. If a person continues to be exposed to the cancer-causing substance, more abnormal cells will appear.
Signs, symptoms & indicators of Lung Cancer
Having a slight/having a moderate/having a high fever
Risk factors for Lung Cancer
Some/possible clubbing of digits or clubbing of toes and fingers
Counter Indicators
Absence of clubbing
Lung Cancer can lead to
Recommendations for Lung Cancer
Medicinal Mushrooms
Thirty-four patients, with no significant difference in their baseline demographic, clinical or tumor characteristics, or previous treatment regimes (P>0.05), were recruited into each of the PSP and control arms. After 28-day treatment, there was a significant improvement in blood leukocyte and neutrophil counts, serum IgG and IgM, and percent of body fat among the PSP, but not the control, patients (P<0.05). Although the evaluable PSP patients did not improve in NSCLC-related symptoms, there were significantly less PSP patients withdrawn due to disease progression, than their control counterparts (5.9 and 23.5%, respectively; P=0.04; OR 4.00). There was no reported adverse reaction attributable to the trial medications.Conclusion : PSP treatment appears to be associated with slower deterioration in patients with advanced NSCLC. [Respiratory Medicine Volume 97, Issue 6, June 2003, Pages 618-624 ]
Hydrazine Sulfate
See the link between Cancer (General) and Hydrazine Sulfate.
Key
| Weak or unproven link |
| Proven definite or direct link |
| Weakly counter-indicative |
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
Glossary
Cancer
Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.
Esophagus
Commonly called the "food pipe", it is a narrow muscular tube, about nine and a half inches long, that begins below the tongue and ends at the stomach. It consists of an outer layer of fibrous tissue, a middle layer containing smoother muscle, and an inner membrane, which contains numerous tiny glands. It has muscular sphincters at both its upper and lower ends. The upper sphincter relaxes to allow passage of swallowed food that is then propelled down the esophagus into the stomach by the wave-like peristaltic contractions of the esophageal muscles. There is no protective mucosal layer, so problems can arise when digestive acids reflux into the esophagus from the stomach.
Stroke
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel that supplies the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, complete or partial loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain. The most common manifestation is some degree of paralysis, but small strokes may occur without symptoms. Usually caused by arteriosclerosis, it often results in brain damage.
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency. Also: Eicosapentanoic Acid. A metabolite of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid.