Articles Index

If Someone in My Family Has Lung Cancer, Am I More Likely to Get It?
A family history of lung cancer increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Hereditary lung cancer is more common in women, nonsmokers and relatives of those that develop lung cancer early in life. Find out if your family history indicates you have a genetic predisposition to lung cancer.

Radon and Lung Cancer - What Everyone Should Know
Exposure to radon in the home is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and the leading cause in non-smokers. Deaths of non-smokers from lung cancer, such as Dana Reeve, has brought some awareness, but far too few people have had their homes tested. Knowing what radon is, how to test for it, what levels are normal, and how to fix the problem, can go a long way in reducing the risk of this entirely preventable cause of lung cancer.

Common Side Effects of Chemotherapy
We have all heard about the side effects of chemotherapy: hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, low blood counts and mouth sores. Having an awareness of the common side effects experienced with chemotherapy, when to call your doctor and what to expect can help you work most effectively with your cancer care team. Tremendous strides with the management of chemotherapy side effects over the last several years has made chemotherapy more comfortable than in the past.

Metastatic Cancer to the Lungs
Cancer in the lungs can be related to a primary lung cancer, or due to the spread of cancer from other regions of the body. Breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer are the most common metastatic cancers to the lungs, though almost all cancers can spread to the lungs. Treatment of metastatic lung cancer is usually focused on the primary cancer, or origin of the cancer.

Questions to Ask About Your Lung Cancer Treatment
Diagnosing and treating lung cancer is a deeply emotional time. Having a list of questions to ask your doctor can help you get the answers you need.

Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer
When is radiation therapy recommended for lung cancer? How is it given? What side effects does radiation therapy have? Are there different types of radiation therapy? Radiation therapy is used alone or along with chemotherapy or surgery for many people with lung cancer. Having a basic understanding of radiation therapy can help you play an active role in your treatment choices.

Treatment of Lung Cancer
There are so many treatment options available if you have been diagnosed lung cancer that it can be overwhelming. Depending upon type and stage of your cancer, options may include a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Newer targeted therapies, clinical trials, and complimentary medicine offer additional approaches in treating lung cancer.

Small Cell Lung Cancer
Small cell lung cancer grows fast and spreads quickly. Small cell lung cancer is caused primarily by smoking, and therefore largely preventable. Despite responding well to chemotherapy, the 5 year survival rate overall is less than 20%.

Preventing Lung Cancer
Ninety percent of lung cancers could be prevented! Many of these are related to tobacco, but environmental exposures that are avoidable cause lung cancer in both smokers and nonsmokers. Something as simple as testing homes for radon could prevent 20,000 lung cancer deaths a year in the US alone.

Diagnosis of Lung Cancer
Imaging is a common way to diagnose lung cancer. In addition to the common chest x-ray procedure, CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and PET scans are also used for identification. Do the terms sputum cytology, bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, thoracotomy and mediastinoscopy sound foreign? Read on to learn what each test is and how it can help you in understanding if your suspected cancer is benign or malignant and if it has metasasized.

Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer
What are clinical trials for lung cancer? What are the benefits? What are the risks? Are there different types or phases of clinical trials? How can I find a clinical trial near my home? Having an understanding of what clinical trials entail can help you decide whether an experimental new treatment may be something you wish to consider.

Inoperable Lung Cancer - What Does Inoperable Mean?
My doctor says my lung cancer is inoperable. Read on to learn what inoperable lunch cancer means and what can be done to treat inoperable lung cancer.

I Quit Smoking or Still Smoke - Should I Be Tested for Lung Cancer?
CT screening for lung cancer has the potential to save lives. Yet, screening for lung cancer with CT scans has risks as well. Issues include errors that result in unnecessary workup and surgeries, radiation exposure from CT scans, and cost.

What is Lung Cancer?
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. 1.2 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year! In the United States in 2006, an estimated 163,000 people died from lung cancer and an estimated 175,000 new lung cancer diagnoses were made. Understanding the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments of lung cancer can make this frightening diagnosis easier to understand.

A Story of Lifestyle and Lung Cancer
Smoking causes lung cancer, but there are many other causes of lung cancer as well. Radon, chemicals, and asbestos can cause lung cancer. Exercise and diet may help prevent lung cancer.

Clinical Trials - How to Find Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer Treatment
Finding clinical trials for lung cancer can offer options not otherwise available for treatment. Clinical trials -- also known as experimental treatments for lung cancer -- can be found in several databases as well as matching services.

Gender and Lung Cancer
Women are different than men with lung cancer. Differences between women and men with lung cancer include the incidence, response to treatment and survival rate. Women have a higher survival rate from lung cancer at all stages of the disease.

Causes of Lung Cancer - An Overview
There are many causes of lung cancer. Causes of lung cancer include lifestyle, environment and occupational. New studies also suggest genetics and infections as causes of lung cancer.

Lung Cancer Causes - Environmental Causes of Lung Cancer
There are many environmental causes of lung cancer. These environmental causes are often preventable. Causes of lung cancer, such as exposure to radon, asbestos, certain chemicals, secondhand smoke and wood smoke, can often be avoided if we are aware of their presence.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer accounting for 80% of all lung cancers. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but non-small cell adenocarcinoma is the most common lung cancer found in non-smokers and women.

Diet and Lung Cancer Prevention
A healthy diet can help with lung cancer prevention. Preventing lung cancer takes more than just avoiding tobacco. Certain foods and eating practices appear to lower the risk.

Dan's Story - Initial Treatment of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer
What treatment options are available after being diagnosed with lung cancer? How can you decide upon a lung cancer treatment? Dan's story illustrates that many options sometimes exist for the same cancer.

Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer
My doctor advised chemotherapy for my lung cancer. Why and how is chemotherapy given? Will I have side effects from chemotherapy? What are some of the medications used for lung cancer? Chemotherapy is used often during lung cancer treatment. It is often used as an adjunct, in addition to surgery, to prolong survival, and to improve the symptoms of lung cancer.

Clinical Trials - Should I Participate in a Clinical Trial?
Is a clinical trial right for you? Do you know the risks and benefits of clinical trials? What questions should you ask about clinical trials? Weighing the risks and benefits and having a list of questions to ask can help you decide if a clinical trial is right for you.

Managing Common Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
Side effects of radiation therapy for lung cancer are common. Managing these side effects can ease some of the symptoms of radiation therapy. Tips for managing skin irritation, fatigue, difficulty swallowing and cough can lessen the the impact of these side effects of radiation therapy during your treatment.