Lung Cancer Blog

Have any of you been denied medical treatment that you believe could improve your outcome, or quality of life? Don’t give up!

Our About.com Guide to Patient Empowerment, Trisha Torrey shares how even one person can make a difference – in their own health care – and for that of others as well in Denial of Coverage, One Complaint, 2500+ Families Benefit.

I have heard the anguish of those who have been denied treatment for lung cancer. Coping with a diagnosis of cancer, and treatment is enough, without worrying about whether you can receive and pay for the appropriate treatment! If you feel this has happened to you, Trisha offers a way to begin addressing that additional thorn in How to Resolve Your Health Insurance Claim Dispute.

Could medications that have provided relief for many with Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis raise the risk of lung cancer? A case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine has again raised awareness: physicians and patients need to be aware of possible risks, including cancer, with these drugs and be watchful.

This case involved an ex-smoker, who developed stage 4 lung cancer after being treated with two medications classified as anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) drugs. Several years after treatment was initiated, she was diagnosed with lung cancer and given a very poor prognosis of only several months. When her TNF medication was discontinued, her lung cancer resolved without treatment (she did not undergo surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy for lung cancer,) and after 2 years, had no detectable signs of cancer.

Due to the way these drugs work in the body, concern has been raised previously about a side effect of predisposing people to cancer, especially lymphoma. Yet, for many people with Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis, these drugs have been “miracle drugs,” providing significant improvement in quality of life. What this study reminds us of, is that physicians and patients need to work together and weigh the risks and benefits of any treatment, and in particular, to be mindful of the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor medications in former smokers.

Medications classified as anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) drugs include:

• adalimumab (Humira)
• etanercept (Enbrel)
• infiximab (Remicade)

_Source:

Resolution of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer after Withdrawal of Anti-TNF Therapy. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2008. 359:320-321.

Difficulty swallowing due to esophagitis, is one side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer. Accompanied by the mouth sores often experienced with chemotherapy, eating can be difficult during lung cancer treatment.

Smooth textured foods tend to be tolerated better than rough textured foods when swallowing is painful, but soft and blended foods can look and taste a little bland. Our About.com Guide to Low Fat Cooking, Fiona Haynes, offers today’s recipe, with the smooth texture of yogurt combined with the cooling effect of a popsicle for those annoying mouth sores. Enjoy – that is, if your children or grandchildren don’t clean out the freezer first!

Low-Fat Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles

We all hear comments about stress – it seems the whole world is “stressed-out” lately! Most of us know personally the physical symptoms that accompany stress: irritability, lack of concentration, anxiety. Can those stress related symptoms be damaging for those of you that are going through lung cancer treatment?

Researchers in London believe the answer is yes, after reviewing the literature to date on the role of stress in cancer survival. They found that stress was correlated with poorer survival and a higher mortality rate from lung cancer. They defined as most significant:

• A stress-prone personality
• Unfavorable coping styles
• Negative emotional responses, and
• Poor quality of life

_Source:

Chida, Y. et al. Do stress-related psychosocial factors contribute to cancer incidence and survival? Nature clinical practice. Oncology. 2008. May 20 (Epub ahead of time.)

Earlier this week I wrote about a new study that suggests older adults are happier with their health care if they have a companion present at doctor visits. One of the ways companions assisted their loved ones in this study was to ask questions.

Asking questions is important, and writing out a list of questions prior to clinic visits can be helpful. Why does a list of questions help? Is anyone like me? Without my “list” I often forget things at the grocery store – sometimes even that item that prompted me to go to the grocery store in the first place! Add in the anxiety and magnitude of cancer treatment, and it is easy to overlook a few questions you would hope to have answered.

We have a list of questions to ask about your lung cancer treatment to get you started. Feel free to print this, review it with your loved ones, and add questions of your own. Taking notes can help as well. Taking an active role in your health care, or that of a loved one, makes a difference. To learn more, our About.com Guide to Patient Empowerment, Trisha Torrey, offers further tips in Tools for the Savvy Patient.

Many factors work together to raise or lessen the chance of dying from lung cancer. Education, for white men anyway, appears to have a protective element.

A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that men (both black and white), are less likely to die from lung cancer if they graduate from college, or go to school for at least 16 years. Those that go to school for less than 12 years have a higher death rate from lung cancer across the board.

What bothered me a lot, is that black women who are highly educated did not have the reduction in mortality seen in black men, or white men or women. Something I plan to look at further! I don’t like “does not compute” moments like these, and something inside me stood in protest, crying out for black women.

Do any of you have any input into why black women should not realize the same cancer protective benefits from education that black men and white men and woman appreciate? I would love to hear your thoughts.

For those black women that are reading this, at least gender stands in your favor! Read Differences Between Men and Women With Lung Cancer.

_Source:

Higher Educational Attainment Associated with Greater Gains in Mortality Reduction from Common Cancers. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. July 8, 2008. doi:10.1093/jnci/djn266.

Intuition tells us that family involvement is important to those suffering from illness, including lung cancer. A study published in todays Archives of Internal Medicine reinforces that gut feeling.

In this study that looked at over 12,000 adults aged 65 and older, it was found that those adults who had a loved one accompany them to their health care visits were much happier. They were not only more satisfied with the information they received from their physician, but were happier with their doctors interpersonal skills as well. Ways that loved ones helped support their family member during visits included:

• Taking notes on instructions given by physicians
• Asking questions
• Explaining physicians instructions to their loved one

Since 50% of those living with lung cancer are over the age of 70, it would make sense that having a loved one present for health care visits would be a good practice. In addition to going to doctors visits with your loved ones, there are many other ways that you can provide support. Read 12 Tips for Supporting a Loved One With Cancer for further ideas.

_Source:

Wolff, J., and D. Roter. Hidden in Plain Sight. Medical Visit Companions as a Resource for Vulnerable Older Adults. Archives of Internal Medicine. July 14, 2008. 168(13):1409-1415.

We have all heard the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” When it comes to lung cancer prevention, an apple a day may keep the oncologist away.

According to the National Cancer Institute, a diet rich in foods containing flavenoids, such as apples, may lower the risk of developing lung cancer up to 50%!

Today’s recipe comes from our About.com Guide to Desserts and Baking, Carroll Pellegrinnelli.

Apple-Cinnamon Granola

As I wrote last week about a new blood test (possibly widely available within 2 years,) that could “personalize” treatment for lung cancer, I was excited. Excitement is an understatement for my emotions, having watched too many people that I care for wait for months, only to realize that the particular treatment they received was ineffective. How wonderful to have a test that could not only spare some of the waiting, but also help physicians pick the best treatment for each individual based on a genetic evaluation. And treatment is not the only area where genetics could shine in lung cancer. We are beginning to understand more about genetic predispositions to lung cancer, especially in non-smokers. In the future, we could have a test to predict whether each of us will get lung cancer or not.

Thoughts of my patients and friends who have struggled with decisions about genetic testing for breast cancer, and with breast cancer removed my blinders. On the surface, personalized treatment for lung cancer, and the ability to predict who is at risk, sound like major breakthroughs. But with any new technology, ethical, moral, and legal dilemmas can present another side. Could genetic testing limit potentially life-saving treatment to only those that have particular mutations in cancer cells? Could a predisposition to lung cancer on genetic testing limit your ability to get health insurance or result in unnecessary tests or treatment?

With genetic testing methods to personalize lung cancer treatment already in use in clinical trials, each of us needs to consider thoughtfully the pros and cons. Our About.com Guide to Patient Empowerment, Trisha Torrey, offers questions to contemplate in What Ethical, Legal and Moral Questions are Raised by Personalized Medicine?.

We know that some foods appear to lower the risk of lung cancer, but what do they taste like? Does anyone else remember the taste of the first “health food” bars? I have some foggy recollection that they tasted like a cross between tree bark and compost, or at least what I imagine a medley of tree bark and compost might taste like. It is true that if we are going to eat healthy food, it needs to taste good.

This issue was recently discussed at the Annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists in New Orleans. During the meeting, scientists, educators, and marketing experts discussed how consumers respond to food-health messages. It seems that flavor variety is the key when it comes to eating healthy, and the more health information available, the more taste is needed to assure consumers to come back for more.

For today’s recipe, we draw from a list of foods that may prevent lung cancer, and feature the expertise of our own About.com Guide to Culinary Arts, Danilo Alfaro.

Spaghettini Puttanesca Recipe