Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

The microscopic world of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that invade our systems causing lung disease, pneumonia, and a variety of attacks on the respiratory system keeps the pulmonary specialist busy. Various therapies and drugs now being used and those still being studied give hope to people who suffer persistent and severe viral infections and diseases of the lungs. Dr. S.N White discusses the viral agents that make us all vulnerable to a variety of infections. Q. Is pneumonia an irresistible illness?  A. Pneumonia is an irritation of the lung and all the time is brought about by disease, yet it might be the consequence of different operators, for example, drugs. Most pneumonias are brought about by irresistible operators. The term pneumonia, be that as it may, just alludes to aggravation of the lung; it doesn't disclose to you the reason. In many examples, however, it's a particular contamination.  Q. Is it a viral contamination?  A. For the ...

What are the various types of lung operations called?  The three most common types of lung operations are thoracotomy, lobectomy, and pneumonectomy. What is a thoracotomy?  This is a major operation used as a diagnostic tool when other diagnostic tests have failed to locate the tumor or to clarify the nature or extent of the tumor. The operation is performed in the operating room under anesthesia. It involves opening up the chest on one side and examining the lungs and nearby areas, such as lymph nodes. To perform the procedure, the doctor removes a rib or goes between two ribs, just below the shoulder blade. His cut follows the curve of the ribs, going from the back just under the shoulder blade around to the front of the chest. He spreads the ribs apart so he can see and work in the area of the lung. If a tumor is found, an immediate examination of it is made by the pathologist. If his report shows that the cell type of the tumor is favorable for operating, the surgical...

How does the doctor determine the stage of lung cancer when it is found?  The staging will include three sets of letters and numbers. The first two grade the tumor size, the second two indicate the nodal involvement, and the third pair relate to whether or not the tumor has metastasized. Is surgery usually used for lung cancer?  Yes, in most cases. The doctor will usually operate if he feels that the entire tumor can be removed or if the operation will remove a portion of the tumor and will help the patient live with the disease better. If the cancer affects only one lobe, it will be removed. If it affects both lobes on the left side or all three lobes on the right side, the whole lung on the involved side may be taken out. If the lymph nodes involved are around the main bronchus and the large blood vessels of the lungs or in the center of the chest, it might be possible to remove all of the malignancy as long as only one lung contains the cancer. The use of surgery and t...

Why would the doctor decide to give me radiation before he operates?  In some cases, depending on the size and the location of the tumor, radiation is given to shrink the size of the tumor. This can be done either in conjunction with the operation or in place of the operation, depending on the circumstances of the case. Is radiation therapy sometimes used after surgery?  Yes. It can be used this way. About a month after the operation, when the chest tissues have had an opportunity to heal, radiation treatment may be started. Radiation is given to that part of the chest where metastases were found or seemed likely to occur. Radiation Treatment for Lung Cancer Link Can x-ray therapy be given to the other lung if one has been removed?  Since radiotherapy to the lung can cause scar tissue to form, making it difficult for the lung to function, radiotherapy is usually not given to the opposite lung.

What is a tomogram? Is it related to a CT scan? A tomogram or laminagram is a special chest x-ray. If the regular chest x-ray shows a shadow in the lungs, tomograms can tell the physician more about the size, shape, or other characteristics of the lump. It is a series of pictures of various sections of lung tissue which when put together give a three dimensional picture of abnormal lung growth. In cases of benign lumps, the tomogram tells the doctor enough about the tumor so he can make the diagnosis based on the tomogram pictures alone. If the tomogram suggests that the lump is cancerous, more tests will be needed to narrow down the diagnosis. A CT scan computerized tomography is often taken. What is a bronchogram?  A bronchogram is another specialized x-ray examination which is sometimes used. A small amount of radio opaque dye is put into the bronchial tubes, and usually into the trachea after the area has been numbed. The patient is tilted into various positions to distrib...

How does smoking affect the lungs? Constant irritation of the bronchial lining by cigarette smoke causes the tiny hairs (cilia) that line the bronchial lining to disappear. Without these tiny hairs to sweep it into the throat in the cleansing action, the mucus remains trapped and "smoker's cough" often results. Continued smoking can cause the cells to form abnormal growth patterns and eventually to turn into cancer. Some recent studies indicate that lung cancer could be cut by as much as 80 percent if all smoking ceased. When a person stops smoking, the lungs begin to cleanse and repair themselves. What kinds of tests does the doctor do when he is looking for lung cancer?  Usually the doctor starts by getting a health history, which gives him important clues to the most likely diagnosis. Then he will do a physical exam, looking, for example, for a hard lump in the neck which would suggest that cancer may have spread from some nearby part of the body to the lymph no...

How do I know if I have been exposed to asbestos? If you have worked for any length of time in a shipyard building or repairing ships, in a factory manufacturing asbestos materials, or as an insulation installer, a construction worker , or in automotive brake lining repair, you may have been exposed to asbestos on the job. The National Cancer Institute and other governmental agencies are informing workers and their families that job-related exposures to asbestos can result in certain diseases, particularly asbestosis and lung cancer. What are the symptoms of the various asbestos caused diseases? Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease whose signs and symptoms result from permanent changes in lung tissue. The earliest and most prominent sign is shortness of breath after exertion. Lung cancer has a cough or change in cough habit as its most common symptom. Chest pain is the second most common. Blood streaked sputum, coughed up from the lungs, is the first symptom in a small number ...

How does lung cancer spread?  Lung cancer usually begins as a tiny spot, most often on the inner lining of a bronchial tube. Lungs have a rich supply of blood and lymph vessels close to the cancer cells. If these cells get into the bloodstream or the lymph system, they can act as seeds and spread to other parts of the body. When this happens, it is called a metastasis. A metastasis (or "met," as it is sometimes called) is not a new kind of cancer, but is the lung cancer which has moved to another part of the body and begun to grow there. Therefore, even if it has spread to the bone, for example, it is not bone cancer but simply an extension or metastasis of the lung cancer. The metastasis looks and behaves in the same way as the original lung cancer, and therefore the same treatment which has been used to contain the lung tumor is likely to be used in treating the metastasis. How does the original lung tumor affect the lung?   There can be several effects on the proces...

Is lung cancer common? Cancer of the lung is the most common cancer among men in the United States and is on the increase among women. All cancers of the lung have a high degree of malignancy. When lung cancer is diagnosed in its earlier stages, of course, the chances of cure are much greater. Small epidermoid carcinomas, for example, can be cured in a large percentage of patients. The other carcinomas are more difficult to cure. The survival rate is better for those persons whose lung cancer is found before it spreads outside the lung. Each year approximately 100,000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in the United States. What is the major cause of lung cancer?  The major cause of lung cancer is smoking. It is estimated that smoking causes 85 percent of all lung cancers. Does nicotine chewing gum work in helping to stop smoking? This chewing gum, which must be prescribed by a doctor, is designed for use by smokers who wish to stop smoking cigarettes. Smokers who have a...

Lung Cancer Lung cancer develops slowly; it can be present for 10 to 20 years without causing noticeable symptoms. The most common symptoms a cough, a wheeze, or an ache are easy to ignore. It is especially easy for a heavy smoker to ignore them, since smoker's cough and shortness of breath are often a way of life for a long time smoker. The cough is usually the result of a growing cancer blocking an airway and is the attempt of the body to get rid of a foreign object stuck in the lung. In some cases, the sputum coughed up contains streaks of blood. Chest pains, usually resulting in a persistent ache, can be early symptoms, as are recurring attacks of pneumonia or bronchitis. Persistent shoulder and arm pains can also sometimes signal the presence of lung cancer. Those Most Likely to Get Lung Cancer  • Age 50-64 and live in a city • Have smoked one or more packs a day for 20 years or longer and or began to smoke before age 20 and still smoking • Smoke and work in an ind...

Lungs: CYSTS, TUMORS AND THEIR REMOVAL An X ray of the chest provides a view of both lungs, an outline of the heart and of the diaphragm muscle, and all the ribs. Such an X ray may reveal changes in the size or configuration of structures or the presence of densities or shadows that are not normal. Modern X-ray techniques and the simplicity of the chest X ray as a survey and routine preemployment procedure taken in the asymptomatic individual can lead to early diagnosis of lung diseases. Not all spots are tumors. Some are infections, others are defects with which one was born, and still others are benign growths. Unfortunately there is a high incidence of cancer of the lung. All abnormalities disclosed by the chest X ray or brought to the physician's attention by a cough, wheeze or blood spitting require investigation. Any single abnormality of the lung can be due to a number of causes, either serious or inconsequential. Thus a lung spot may, among others, be a cancer, tuber...