Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

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...

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...