Get Educated on Lung Cancer
What is Lung Cancer?
Lung cancer is when cells of the tissue in the lungs grow out of control.
There are also several types, and stages of the cancers, along with varying treatment options. Find answers to What is Lung Cancer, starting here.
Types of Lung Cancer
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, making up 80 – 85% of all cases.
It typically grows and spreads more slowly than small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
Non-small cell NSCLC is staged based on the size of the primary tumor, and if, and where the cancer has spread using the following stages I, II, III, and IV. Continue to read more on the different types of Lung Cancer and how they are staged.
Risk Factors and Risk Reduction
- The main risk for lung cancer is tobacco use.
- Smoking causes 80 – 85% of lung cancer in the U.S.
- The risk increases with the number of years and packs per day the person smoked.
- The 2010 Surgeon Generalās report, “How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease”, states,
āThere is no risk-free level of tobacco smoke”. - Tobacco smoke causes changes in cells that can lead to cancer.
- To reduce your risk, donāt start smoking.
- If you smoke, quit. Quitting smoking improves your life in many ways and it is encourage that current smokers find the best way to quit smoking.
- If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with lung cancer and smoke, continuing to smoke can, among other things, interfere with the way treatments work, and make side effects worse. Learn more about coping with hearing you have cancer, smoking after a lung cancer diagnosis and how to quit.
About lung cancer Screenings & what you need to know.
If you are a current or former smoker, your risk of developing lung cancer may be up to 25 times higher than someone who never smoked.
A Computed Tomography (CT) scan is the only proven effective way to screen for lung cancer. Find out more about lung cancer Screenings & how to be prepared and what you might expect.
Lung Cancer Statistics
There are currently hundreds of thousands of lung cancer survivors in the United States.
Catching it early and being able to remove it surgically results in the best outcomes, but people with all stages of lung cancer (yes, even stage IV!) have lived many happy years beyond diagnosis. Continue to read here for more on the current cancer statistics in the United States.
Glossary
From Acute to X-Ray, this glossary contains a comprehensive list of cancer related terms and definitions.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
- Lung cancer often has no symptoms until it has spread (metastasized). This is because there are few specialized nerves (pain receptors) in the lungs.
- When symptoms do occur, they vary depending on the type of lung cancer and location and size of the tumor.
- A series of tests are necessary to diagnose lung cancer.
- Further testing identifies the type and stage of cancer, which help determine treatment options.
Identifying Lung Cancer Symptoms
Some lung cancer symptoms are similar to those of other common illnesses, like coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath, and vary greatly depending on if the cancer is localized (stayed within one tissue area or organ) or distance metastases (the cancer has moved outside the localized area into other tissue or organ(s). Here is a Listing of Lung cancer symptoms by severity. Continue to remind your doctor of your medical and social history at each physical examination to assist in a prompt and accurate possible lung cancer diagnosis. Remember it is up to you to know the signs & symptoms of lung cancer because they can look a lot like other illnesses. Don’t miss it!
Learn how lung cancer is diagnosed and how to deal with it.
A series of tests are necessary to diagnose lung cancer. Further testing then helps to identify the type and stage of the cancer, helping to determine treatment options. Start here to learn how lung cancer is diagnosed and what to do next.
Understand the different stages of lung cancer and how it relates to treatment decisions.
Understanding if, and where lung cancer has spread (the stage) is important in deciding what options are available for treatment. Imaging tests, biopsies and laboratory tests, help to determine staging. Understand the different stages of lung cancer and how it changes possible treatment options.
Molecular Testing
Molecular testing (also called biomarker testing) looks for biological changes in genes or proteins, like EGFR or ALK, that may be associated with your cancer. In most cases, this involves testing a piece of tissue from the cancer (a biopsy). Because every personās cancer is different. This testing offers you and your treatment team the information you need to identify the best treatment for your individual case, and how to proceed. Find more detailed information on Molecular testing.
Treatments and Side Effects
Lung cancer is a complex disease and so is its treatment. Lung Cancer Alliance offers useful information about lung cancer treatment and your health care team will recommend treatment options too, but no one is more qualified than you are to make decisions about your quality of life, and your future. Seek information and advice, and then do what is right for you. Know your options for treatments and side effects in treating lung cancer.
Approved Treatments & Drug Trials
Many of the changes that have been identified in genes and proteins of those with lung cancer occur in a small percentage of those impacted by the disease. There are only approved treatments for some of those changes. If there is not an approved treatment for the changes in your cancer, there may be a clinical trial that would be a good match for you. Know all your options, and do research as lung cancer treatments are always being developed.
Learn How to Find the Right Clinical Trials for Your Cancer
To learn more about clinical trials, how they work, how to choose one, and so on, download “Lung Cancer Alliance’s Understanding Clinical Trials brochure for patients 2016
Taken from Lung Cancer Alliance Org website
Nebraska Cancer Resources
Nationally Registered Clinical Trials CCTR University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska (UNMC) is among the Nationally Registered Clinical Trial sites across the United States with a llist of currently enrolling clinicla trials, and other research information for people with cancer.
Lily&Q’s Say…Well, we have some of the brightest and boldest cancer research being done right here in Omaha Nebraska at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). People travel to Omaha to take advantage of the ground-breaking treatments available here. If lung cancer ever becomes a part of your medical history or you have a family member or friend who gets a lung cancer diagnosis, you’ll know just the right place to start! UNMC is on the “cutting edge” of all kinds of research-Cancer being one of many, and it’s good to know help is right here at home!