The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be about 164,100 new cases of lung cancer in the United States in the year 2000. Lung cancer is fairly rare in persons under the age of 40. The average age of persons found to have lung cancer is 60.
Small Cell Lung Cancer accounts for about 20% of all lung cancers and is a more aggressive type.
Lung cancer is usually treated with a combination of modalities (i.e., surgery and chemotherapy and radiation) It is becoming more common to undergo a course of radiation or chemotherapy before surgery to reduce the number of cancer cells that may have the potential to spread.
Smoking is the single most important risk factor for the development of lung cancer. Persons who smoke cigarettes, pipes or cigars should consult with their health care provider about methods to quit as soon as possible.
A variety of complementary therapies have been used by persons with all types of cancer to reduce side effects of treatments such as nausea and pain. Biofeedback and other relaxation therapies as well as acupuncture have been used to reduce stress, anxiety and general discomfort.
The Medifocus Guide on Small Cell Lung Cancer provides answers to the following important questions and medical issues:
What are the most common symptoms of lung cancer?
Are there any recognized risk factors for developing lung cancer?
What kinds of medical tests are used to establish the diagnosis of lung cancer?
What is the current standard of care for the treatment of lung cancer?
What treatment options are available for the management of lung cancer?
Are there any promising new developments or potential breakthroughs in treatment?
Who are the most notable medical authorities who specialize in lung cancer?
Where are the leading hospitals and centers of research for lung cancer?
What are the most important questions to ask my doctor about lung cancer?
What Your Doctor Reads:
This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:
Current guidelines for the management of small cell lung cancer. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 1999
New perspectives for the pharmacological and biological therapy of small cell lung cancer. Critical Reviews in Oncology-Hematology. 1999
Review of selected randomized trials in small cell lung cancer. Seminars in Oncology. 1998
Small-cell lung cancer: treatment progress and prospects. Oncology. 1998
Current therapy of small cell lung cancer. Current Opinion in Oncology. 1998
Prognostic significance of supraclavicular lymph nodes in small cell lung cancer: a study from four consecutive clinical trials, including 1,370 patients. "Petites Cellules" Group. Chest. 1998
Lung cancer in women compared with men: stage, treatment, and survival. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 1998
Normal serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) value after the first cycle of chemotherapy: an early predictor of complete response and survival in patients with small cell lung carcinoma. Cancer. 1998
Outcome of patients with small-cell lung cancer during 20 years of clinical research at the US National Cancer Institute. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 1997
Nonpharmacologic management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Oncology Nursing Forum. 1997
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