The Cancer Blog/Lung Cancer - Lung Cancer Blogs

Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!

Routine lung cancer screening gets thumbs down
Posted Sep 13th 2007 11:11AM by Brian White
Filed under: Lung Cancer

Lung cancer screening by using CT scans may not be the best thing to do, according to a recent report by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

That group stated that, outside of research studies, studying lung cancer using CT technology is not worth the risk since it rarely (if at all) leads to reduced lung cancer deaths.

The reason? Sounds to easy, but with CT tests only looking at lung cancer detection, actual survival rates were not looked at in many cases (and weren't affected anyway).
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Expert tips on preventing lung cancer
Posted Sep 11th 2007 2:14PM by Brian White
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Prevention

Want to prevent lung cancer? That's great -- just don't rely on vitamins and supplements to get the job done, and lessen those CT scans as well. Those do, after all, use radiation.

Members of the American College of Chest Physicians made both statements in the latest edition of the "Guide to Lung Cancer Prevention" -- and the suggestions go towards smokers and non-smokers alike.

The kicker is the knockout stat mentioned here: lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., with more dying from it that from colon, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer combined. Wow.

But the biggest lung cancer prevention tip? Don't smoke, be near smokers and watch that smog intake if at all possible.
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More carcinogens found in hand-rolled cigarettes
Posted Sep 5th 2007 4:35PM by Brian White
Filed under: Lung Cancer

Think that the package cigarette you may have every day (several times, in many cases) is weaker than a hand-rolled cigarette? Think again, according to a new lung cancer study out of Norway.

The study found that smokers of hand-rolled cigarettes run a greater risk of developing lung cancer compared to those that smoke manufactured cigarettes. In Norway, one-third of tobacco sales are used for self-made cigarettes, which is an unusually high amount among civilized countries.

Although Norwegian citizens who smoke may smoke less in terms of quantity, the quality is worse for their health due to so much smoking being done with haand-rolled cigarettes, said the study.
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Lung cancer tied to knee arthritis
Posted Sep 4th 2007 1:43PM by Brian White
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Politics

Isn't it a little odd to see arthritis being tied to lung cancer? That is precisely what a new research report has stated, though. The correlation between arthritis of the knee and initial signs of lung cancer in heavy smokers made up the conclusion of a new report yet to be published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Monoarthritis -- inflammation in just one knee joint -- was found to be the first sign of non-small lung cancer in a group of patients that were studied. The interesting thing here is that all those lung cancer cases were completely undiagnosed before each knee arthritis case was examined.

The good news is that the lung cancer in most of these men who were studied (all of which had been heavy smokers) were in the operable stage -- and when the cancerous tissue had been removed from each patient, knee arthritis problems subsided. Interesting connection, yes?
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Lung cancer -- the top cancer killer
Posted Sep 3rd 2007 12:54PM by Brian White
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Smoking

To those who follow cancer on a daily basis, it may be no surprise that lung cancer is the leading type of cancer that kills globally. With billions of cigarettes being smoked each year in probably every country in the world, t should not come as a surprise that lung cancer occurs in such large numbers.

1.3 million lives each year are snuffed out due to lung cancer, yet my guess is that over a billion people continue to smoke worldwide. That's just a guess, but when 300 million smoke in China alone, it's probably a good guess.

If that weren't enough, about 60 percent of those diagnosed with lung cancer die within a year of officially being diagnosed, and almost 75 percent die within two years. Are you still smoking or know someone who is? Read that last sentence again and again.
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New tumor classifications to help more lung cancer patients
Posted Sep 3rd 2007 10:30AM by Brian White
Filed under: Lung Cancer

A new tumor classification system may indeed give more lung cancer patients hope for treatment, as it divvies up the various stages of lung cancer tumors where some will be classified as "more treatable" that in the past.

This marks the first change in a system used to predict cancer survival related to tumors in about ten years. Those who have had lung cancer but have been told that their cases are not that treatable (read: denied treatment by insurance companies) will surely be glad at this news.

With lung cancer being rated as the deadliest cancer form globally, and with more and more smoking bans coming to cities and entire countries, perhaps lung cancer will be receiving the even more recognition it deserves. That, my friends, is not a bad thing.
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Rash caused by EGFR inhibitors, including Tarceva, a positive sign, say researchers
Posted Sep 2nd 2007 12:03PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Chemotherapy, Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer

Development of a rash after treatment with inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) such as Tarceva (erlotinib) may actually indicate that the treatment is working well, according to an analysis of two phase III trials. According to the analysis, the worse the rash, the more likely patients are to survive their cancers or maintain control of the disease.

The first trial analyzed patients who received erlotinib for stage IIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer who had failed at least one chemo regimen. The second study looked at erlotinib plus gemcitabine (Gemzar) for patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. The team concluded that those patients who do not develop the characteristic rash within 2 to 4 weeks are less likely to benefit from erlotinib.

This study was conducted by researchers from OSI pharmaceuticals, the company that manufactures Tarceva.
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Cancer genes stay active in non-smokers, says study
Posted Aug 30th 2007 2:37PM by Brian White
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Research

If you used to smoke but do no any longer, did you know that genes that have been 'activated' by your past smoking habit remain on even long after you quit?

This conclusion comes from a new study that is being published today. Researchers analyzed gene activity in the respiratory tracts of 24 smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers and came up with the suggestion that cancer-related genes just don't "reset" once a smoker stops smoking.

Although those quitters can breathe a sigh of relief (literally and figuratively), the propensity for lung cancer does not automatically diminish once you stop smoking, although it may decrease over time (years and years).

There are so many reasons to quit smoking these days, and this this is yet another good one, even though it may suggest otherwise.
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Lung cancer: Did you know?
Posted Aug 28th 2007 1:00PM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Magazines, Smoking

Did you know the number one symptom of lung cancer is a persistent cough? Other symptoms include bouts of wheezing, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, blood-streaked sputum, and a hoarse voice.

Did you know 28 percent of all cancer deaths are due to lung cancer and that it's the number one killer among both men and women?

Did you know that Hookahs -- used to inhale tobacco through a water pipe -- let in the same cancer-causing substances as cigarettes and are just as harmful as smoking, despite the fact that many people believe they are safer?

Now you know.

Source: WebMD: the Magazine, March/April 2007
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Non-small cell lung cancer: Vaccine improves survival, says biotech company
Posted Aug 25th 2007 2:00PM by Kristina Collins
Filed under: Drug, Lung Cancer, Research

Antisoma, a biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel drugs for the treatment of cancer, released a statement that the vaccine ASA404 improves anticancer responses and survival for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

ASA404 is known as a vascular disrupting agent (VDA). ASA404 is different from angiogenenesis inhibitors that disrupt the new formation of blood vessels. This vaccine disrupts established blood vessels that feed cancer cells.

The researchers concluded that ASA404 appears promising in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. A Phase III clinical trial is expected to begin in 2008. This is the last step prior to FDA review.

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Avastin gets European approval to treat lung cancer
Posted Aug 24th 2007 5:01PM by Brian White
Filed under: Drug, Lung Cancer

Looks like Roche's Avastin anti-cancer drug has received approval by the European Union for the treatment of lung cancer. The treatment will be available to non-small cell lung cancer patients in concert with traditional chemotherapy.

Although Avastin has shown to prolong survival over one year in those diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, one has to wonder why it's being suggested for use with chemotherapy at the same time. Will it help the cancer patient live easier through chemotherapy treatments?

Is prolonging the lives of cancer patients an additional year (or more) the sole purpose for the approval of Avastin? One has to ask these hard questions in an age where there are still no cures for cancer, although targeted drug like Avastin -- which targets and kills cancer cells by taking out their blood supply -- are indeed steps forward.
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What tests do we really need?
Posted Aug 23rd 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Lung Cancer, Prevention

Wouldn't it be great if we could receive full-body scans every year to check for early signs of cancer and other disease? Even if possible and affordable -- right now, scans cost about $900 -- it still wouldn't be such a great idea.

Full-body scans often result in false alarms. People with harmless abnormalities may end up facing more tests, more risks, and more worry in order to rule out illness. The scan itself can present health hazards too. It exposes patients to more radiation than a chest X-ray and could slightly increase the risk of cancer, especially for those scanned every year.

How do we know, then, if something has gone awry in our bodies? Well, we can do our self-exams -- breast exams, testicular exams, skin exams -- and we can report for annual check-ups. We can respond to symptoms we experience -- if headaches are bothersome and persistent, your doctor may prescribe a head scan -- and we can pursue tests and screening that we really need for cancer prevention and early detection. Here are just a few:
Continue reading What tests do we really need?

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Antisoma's lung cancer drug shows promise
Posted Aug 22nd 2007 4:02PM by Brian White
Filed under: Drug, Lung Cancer, Research

Although I'm no fan of smoking, many of my friends are and I constantly have to ask them not to smoke in my presence. I sure hope none of them develop lung cancer, but if they do, chances are there will be a pharmaceutical drug soon that will help them fight it.

Aside from constantly extolling the virtues of remaining smoke-free, I like to research the drug industry's efforts to attack the next big ailment on the medical radar -- cancer fighting. I say an attitude of "cancer prevention" is much more doable (and way, way cheaper), but for some, treatment after the fact is the only thing going.

With that, Swiss company Antisoma has a new lung cancer drug that produced good final results in a patient trial. 's meant to treat? Lung cancer, of course.
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Aussie scientist believes Kangaroo bacteria can treat lung cancer
Posted Aug 13th 2007 3:02PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Lung Cancer, Research

There's no shortage of strange and downright bizarre ideas that people come up with in the quest to cure cancer, and here's one for the books: Scientists in Australia believe that a type of bacteria found in the Grey Kangaroo might help fight lung cancer.

It's believed that when spores from the bacteria are injected into the patients blood stream, they can seek out a tumor and destroy it some the inside out. And while it might sound strange to us, others believe th theory has some serious merit -- to prove it, the researcher in charge, Dr. Ming Wei, has been awarded a $750,000 fellowship to develop the treatment.
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Mutation in LKB1 helps lung cancers develop into aggressive cases
Posted Aug 10th 2007 9:18AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Lung Cancer

Flaws in a key gene LKB1 helps lung cancers develop swiftly into metastasising tumors according to a study in mice led by by Kwok-Kin Wong of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. LKB1 has previously been identified as helping the body to suppress cancer. In mice, the researchers found that mutations of this gene result in more aggressive tumors.

The researchers examined human non-small-cell lung tissues also and discovered that of the 144 samples, 34% of the lung adenocarcinomas and 19% of the squamous cell carcinomas contained abnormal versions of LKB1.

According to the authors, analyzing this gene could help predict how cancer will develop in a patient.
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