Lung cancer Symptoms | Causes risk factors | New lung cancer treatments 2008

Lung cancer - A slideshow

2010-11-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Webmd - A leading health blog has just published a very detailed and informative slideshow about lung cancer. The slideshow contains 21 pictures from different sources.

Link

Child in ad shed real tears, producer admits

2009-04-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A new anti-smoking ad that shows a frightened little boy has a lot of people talking. TODAY’s Matt Lauer talks to Fiona Sharkie, executive director of the anti-smoking group Quit Victoria, about why the group created the ad.

ROMM Procedure describes Resection of Multiple Metastases lung cancer

2009-03-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

A very important of lung cancer treatment clip, taken from Promise regional

NicoBloc – Prepares you to stop smoking

2009-02-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Using NicoBloc to help you stop smoking by following the instructions that come with each pack to ensure you get the best out of the product.

Watch this complete instructional video on how to get the best from NicoBloc.

Paclitaxel - A new way to treat lung cancer

2009-02-16T09:50:00.001-08:00

Paclitaxel is a monomer diterpenoid alkaloids compound extracted from taxaceae used in cancer chemotherapy to improve long-term survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as well as to treat patients with ovarian, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and advanced forms of Kaposi's sarcoma.

TAXOL (paclitaxel) Injection is a clear, colorless, slightly yellow viscous solution which began to be translated into substantial improvements in Lung cancer patients care. Paclitaxel molecules shows a T-shaped or butterfly structure, being held together in stacks by intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
Taxol is supplied as a as an injectable solution intended for dilution with a suitable parenteral fluid prior to intravenous infusion.

Paclitaxel is a natural product with antitumor activity available in 30 mg (5 mL), 100 mg (16.7 mL), and 300 mg (50 mL) multidose vials.
Each mL of sterile nonpyrogenic solution contains 6 mg paclitaxel, 527 mg of purified Cremophor® EL* and 49.7% (v/v) dehydrated alcohol, USP.

When Taxol was developed commercially by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) the generic name was changed to 'paclitaxel' and the BMS compound is sold under the trademark 'Taxol'. In this formulation paclitaxel is dissolved in Cremophor EL and ethanol, as a delivery agent.

A newer formulation, in which paclitaxel is bound to albumin, is sold under the trademark Abraxane.

What does Paclitaxel do in the Cell?

Paclitaxel interferes with the normal function of microtubule breakdown. Whereas drugs like colchicine cause the depolymerization of microtubules, paclitaxel arrests their function by having the opposite effect.
It hyper-stabilizes their structure, destroying the cell's ability to use its cytoskeleton in a flexible manner.

Source - Rxlist
Wikipedia

POXOLTM (Paclitaxel Injection)

Mesothelioma Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatments

2009-02-09T13:40:00.001-08:00

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos - A group of minerals that take the form of tiny fibers. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body.

Its most common site is the pleura - the pleural cavity is the body cavity that surrounds the lungs , but it may also occur in other places.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways.Unlike lung cancer, Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma.

The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain and swelling. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination.

The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with only brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases.

How to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma?

Thoracoscopy - (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples.

Peritoneoscopy - To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument called a peritoneoscope into the abdominal cavity.

Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to use current treatments.

Phase III Study Showed Tarceva in Combination With Avastin as First-Line Maintenance Therapy Improved Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Lung Cance

2009-02-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

Genentech Inc. reports that a Phase III study (ATLAS) of Tarceva® (erlotinib) in combination with Avastin® (bevacizumab) as maintenance therapy following initial treatment with Avastin plus chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) met its primary endpoint.

According to the announcement, the study was stopped early on the recommendation of an independent data safety monitoring board after a pre-planned interim analysis showed that combining Tarceva and Avastin significantly extended the time patients lived without their disease advancing, as defined by progression-free survival (PFS), compared to Avastin plus placebo.

Staging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

2009-02-08T06:53:00.001-08:00

Source - Tarceva.com

As a Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer patient, staging of Lung Cancer is a most important for your oncologist to measure how far the disease has spread, receive the right prognosis before you can receive treatment.

TNM staging system:
T - Size of tumor and how far it has spread within the lung and to nearby organs
N - Spread to lymph nodes
M - Metastasis

Find full Staging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and treatment http://www.health-alliance.com/Cancer/lung/staging.html

Stage 0
Abnormal cells (Cancer) is found only in the layer of cells lining the air passages and innermost lining of the lung. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue.
Possible treatment: N/A

Stage I
Cancer cells are limited to the lung. Tissue around the lung remains normal. Stage I is divided into IA and IB, depending on the tumor size or if a main bronchus is involved.
Possible treatment: Surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy*

Stage II

Cancer has spread to lymph nodes, chest wall, diaphragm, lining of the lungs, or the outer lining that surrounds the heart.

Stage III

Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the area of the chest between the heart and lungs. Blood vessels in this area may also be affected. Cancer may also have spread to the lower neck.

Stage IV

Cancer has spread to the other lung or to other areas in the body and cannot be removed with surgery.

Staging - from Emedicine:
IA - T1N0M0
IB - T2N0M0
IIA - T1N1M0
IIB - T2N1M0 or T3N0M0
IIIA - T1-3N2M0 or T3N1M0
IIIB - Any T4 or any N3M0
IV - Any M1

Where -

Primary tumor

Tis - Carcinoma in situ

TX - Positive malignant cytologic findings, no lesion observed

T1 - Diameter of 3 cm or smaller.

T2 -Diameter greater than 3 cm.

T3 - Tumor at the apex.

T4 - Invasion of the mediastinal organs.

Regional lymph node involvement

N0 - No lymph nodes involved

N1 - Ipsilateral bronchopulmonary or hilar nodes involved

N2 - Ipsilateral mediastinal nodes or ligament involved
N3 - contralateral mediastinal or hilar nodes involved

Metastatic involvement
M0 - No metastases
M1 - Metastases present

A letter to the doctor - My father has lung cancer

2009-02-06T00:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Dr

The patient was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, most likely adenoca (although immune staining is still pending). On CT, which I have with me, there is a LUL lung mass measuring 4cm, significant mediastinal and axilary lymphadenopathy, as well as 3 brain lesions.

Surprisingly, he is feeling well and has a good performance status. He underwent brain and chest radiation and planed to start treatment with Alimta - I don't know if that a single agent or with cisplatin.

His past medical history is significant for heavy smoking and COPD
Warthin's tumor that was diagnosed by cervical lymph node biopsy 2 years age for which he received no further treatment.

Lung biopsy 3 years ago for a suspected left lung lesion complicated with pneomothorax.
The biopsy at that time was negative, and was not followed.

Basically the family needs reassurance that the patient is getting the right treatment and asked your opinion.
If needed they will provide more information or bring the father here for evaluation

Cisplatin And Carboplatin - Anticancer treatment

2009-01-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

Cisplatin, the "penicillin of cancer drugs", a single agent, is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug used to treat various types of cancers, including some carcinomas as small cell lung cancer. Cisplatin is believed to kill cancer cells by binding to DNA and interfering with the cell's repair mechanism.

Cisplatin injection is indicated as secondary therapy in patients with:

Metastatic testicular tumors who have already received appropriate surgical and/or radiotherapeutic procedures.

Metastatic ovarian tumors who have already received appropriate surgical and/or radiotherapeutic procedures.

Carboplatin is a chemotherapy drug used against some forms of cancer (mainly ovarian carcinoma, lung, head and neck cancers). Carboplatin is in a class of drugs known as platinum-containing compounds; it slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body. It was introduced in the late 1980s and has since gained popularity in clinical treatment due to its vastly reduced side-effects compared to its parent compound cisplatin.

How to Prevent Lung cancer

2009-01-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

How can lung cancer be prevented?

First, Quit smoking. Smoking cessation is the most important measure that can prevent lung cancer because smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. More than 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking.
Read all about how to quit smoking

The American Institute of Cancer Research web site suggests you eat - Berries,
Grapes and grape juice, vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, Tomatoes, Garlic, Soy, Green tea and Flaxseed.

Radon might cause lung cancers. Use a home radon test kit to identify and allow correction of increased radon levels in the home.

Limit your exposure to carcinogens in your work environments.

Minimizing exposure to secondhand and passive smoking is important.
To read about passive smoking
Secondhand smoke contains over 60 known carcinogens who interrupt normal cell development, a fact that might starts cancer process.

Lung cancer prognosis

2009-01-30T08:00:00.001-08:00

What is the prognosis (outcome) of lung cancer?
The prognosis is the chance that a patient will recover or have a recurrence.

These factors can affect lung cancer survival rate:

The location of the cancer and its symptoms such as coughing or trouble breathing.
The cancer stage (1-4) / grade.
The patients' age, health status, and response to treatment.
How well you are overall.

Unfortunately, lung cancer has a poor prognosis, yet early diagnosis might improve it.

Source - lung cancer prognosis

Lung cancer prognosis

How is lung cancer treated

2009-01-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

Lung cancer treatment-options involve using surgical removal of the cancer, and non-surgical cancer treatment such as chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.
Sometimes the treatment involves both - chemotherapy or radiotherapy after surgical removal of a tumor in order to be certain that all tumor cells are killed.

What should be taken unto account to decide which treatment will be appropriate for a lung cancer patient?
The localization and extent of the tumor.
The overall health status of the patient.

Other types of lung cancer therapy:
Curative therapy - removal or eradication of a cancer.
Palliative therapy - unable to cure lung cancer but reduces patients pain and suffering.

Risks of lung surgery include pneumonia and blood clots in addition to bleeding, infection, and problems restoring breathing.
Thoracotomy, as a biopsy procedure, offers greater risk than most biopsy procedures.

A Chest surgery to remove a tumor:
Surgery is performed in 10%-35% of lung cancers, mostly for stage I NSCLC when the cancer has not spread beyond the lung, SCLC tumors are localized to one area that can be removed. Yet, even surgery does not always cure the cancer, since theres a chance that undetectable cells may have already spread to other parts of patients body.

Thoracotomy is an incision into the chest. Thoracotomy is performed by a surgeon, and, rarely, by emergency physicians and paramedics, to gain access to the thoracic organs, most commonly the heart, the lungs, the esophagus or thoracic aorta.

A lobectomy is performed in early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients. It is not performed on patients that have lung cancer that has spread to other parts other body. Tumor size, type and location are majors factors as to whether a lobectomy is performed.

Radiation therapy:
The medical use of ionizing radiation as part of both NSCLC and SCLC cancer treatment to control malignant cells.
Radiation therapy may be used as the primary therapy. It is also common to combine radiotherapy with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or some mixture of the three.

Acute Side effects of radiotherapy include Damage to the epithelial surfaces, Swelling , Infertility.
Medium and long-term side effects - Fibrosis, hair loss, fatigue and dryness.

Chemotherapy:
Standard chemotherapy for lung cancer typically consists of combinations of drugs that stop the growth of cancer cells by killing them or preventing them from dividing. Such combination therapy has been shown to improve the overall response to treatment. Well-known drug pairings in combination therapy include the following:

Paclitaxel plus carboplatin
Cisplatin plus vinorelbine tartrate or Gemzar
Cisplatin plus VP-16
Carboplatin plus VP-16Both NSCLC and SCLC may be treated with chemotherapy.

Read more about Chemotherapy

lung cancer - How to diagnose

2009-01-30T05:48:00.000-08:00

Detecting symptoms of lung cancer:

Risk factors - smoking, signs - breathing difficulties, airway obstruction.
Signs of lung disease - infections in the lungs, insufficient oxygen in the blood, changes in the tissue of the nail beds.

Diagnosing lung cancer:

First diagnostic step - The chest X-ray procedure may reveal suspicious areas in the lungs but are unable to determine if these areas are cancerous.

More-detailed image of the lung - A computerized tomography - CT or Cat scans performed on the chest, abdomen, and/or brain to examine for both metastatic and primary tumor. CT or Cat scans are a series of X-rays combined by a computer in a cross-section view. CT scan provides multiple images with the aid of a computer to generate cross-sectional views of the body with injected contrast material to highlight lung tissue and suspicious masses.

CT scan to identify metastatic cancer:
CT scans of the abdomen may identify metastatic cancer in the liver or adrenal glands.
CT scans of the head may be ordered to reveal the presence and extent of metastatic cancer in the brain.

Precise detail about a tumor's location - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans:

The MRI technique is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the structure and function of the body. It provides detailed images of the body in any plane. MRI provides much greater contrast between the different soft tissues of the body than computed tomography (CT) does, making it especially useful in neurological (brain), musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and oncological (cancer) imaging

Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning is a specialized imaging technique that uses short-lived radioactive drugs to produce three-dimensional colored images of those substances in the tissues within the body. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body. The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radionuclide (tracer), which is introduced into the body on a biologically active molecule.

Sputum cytology examination allows visualization of tumor cells for diagnosis. A pathologist examines the patient's sputum under a microscope. This is the most risk-free and inexpensive tissue diagnostic procedure - The cells of centrally-located tumors are often present in sputum, and if they are, the pathologist can diagnose the condition by simple visual examination. Its value is limited since tumor cells will not always be present in sputum even if a cancer is present. Also, noncancerous cells may occasionally undergo changes in reaction to inflammation or injury that makes them look like cancer cells.

Bronchoscopy:

Bronchoscopy is a technique of visualizing the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A thin, fiberoptic probe inserted through the nose or mouth, through the trachea and bronchial tubes to the suspected area. allows the practitioner to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation.
A bronchoscopy can be performed in an outpatient suite or a hospital operating room and requires a sedative and anesthetic.

What are the signs and symptoms of lung cancer?

2009-01-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

Lung cancer symptoms and signs are varied, depending upon where and how widespread the tumor is. Warning signs of lung cancer are not always present or easy to identify.

A person with lung cancer may have the following kinds of symptoms:

Up to 25% of lung cancer patients have no symptoms.

These lung cancers are usually identified incidentally when a chest x-ray or a CT scan is performed for another reason, as a solitary small mass sometimes called a coin lesion, since on a two-dimensional X-ray or CT scan, the round tumor looks like a coin. These patients with small, single masses often have no symptoms at the time the cancer is discovered.

The other 75% of lung cancer patients develop some symptoms due to:
The growth of the cancer and invasion of lung tissues and surrounding tissue.
Direct effects of the primary tumor.
The effects of metastatic tumors in other parts of the body.
Malignant disturbances of hormones, blood, or other systems.

Symptoms of primary lung cancers include cough, wheezing or vibrating breathing noises, blood coughing and dry cough , chest and back pain, a lack of oxygen in the blood (cyanosis) and shortness of breath.

Symptoms of metastatic lung tumors depend on the location and size. About 40% of lung cancer patients have some symptoms or signs of metastatic disease.

Lung cancer most often spreads to the liver, the adrenal glands, the bones, and the brain.

Metastatic lung cancer in the liver or in the adrenal glands usually does not cause any symptoms, at least at the time of diagnosis.

Metastasis to the bones causes bone pain, usually in the backbone (vertebrae), the thighbones, and the ribs.

Lung cancer that spreads to the brain may cause a number of neurologic symptoms that may include blurred vision, headaches, seizures, or symptoms of stroke such as weakness or loss of sensation in parts of the body.

Paraneoplastic symptoms: Lmuscle weakness, muscle cramps, and an elevation of the calcium level in your blood.

Types of lung cancer

2009-01-30T05:32:00.000-08:00

There are many types of lung cancer, each type of lung cancer needs different treatment:

Lung cancer - Small cell carcinoma.
Uundifferentiated small cells lung cancer.
Squamous cell carcinoma - squamous epithelium of the lungs
Adenocarcinoma - cancer of the glandular tissue
Large cell lung cancer
Broncho-alveolar carcinoma

Most lung cancers, whether SCLC or NSCLC, tend to start at the cellular level as pre-cancerous changes within the lungs and then develop into lung cancer over many years. The pre-cancerous cannot be seen by x-rays, MRI, or CT scan.

There are two main types of lung cancer:
Small cell lung cancers (SCLC).
Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC).

These two types of cancers grow and spread in different ways and may have different treatment options, so a distinction between these two types is important.

Small Cell Lung Cancers (SCLC) - sometimes called oat cell carcinomas , comprise 10%-15% of all lung cancers and are the most aggressive, cigarette smoking related and rapidly growing of all lung cancers.
Smoking is almost always the primary cause of SCLC, Only 1% of SCLC tumors occur in nonsmokers.
Since SCLC metastasize rapidly to many sites within the body the average survival of SCLC patients with therapy may be 6-12 months, but long-term survival is rare.

Staging of Lung Cancer

NSCLC are the most common lung cancers, accounting for about 80% of all lung cancers. NSCLC can be divided into three main types that are named based upon the type of cells found in the tumor:

Adenocarcinomas are the most commonly seen type of NSCLC in the U.S. and comprise up to 50% of NSCLC .
While adenocarcinomas are associated with smoking like other lung cancers, this type is observed as well in nonsmokers who develop lung cancer. Most adenocarcinomas arise in the outer, or peripheral, areas of the lungs.
Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is a subtype of adenocarcinoma that frequently develops at multiple sites in the lungs and spreads along the preexisting alveolar walls.

Squamous cell carcinomas were formerly more common than adenocarcinomas; at present, they account for about 30% of NSCLC. Also known as epidermoid carcinomas, squamous cell cancers arise most frequently in the central chest area in the bronchi.

Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 75% of all lung cancers.

Large cell carcinomas, sometimes referred to as undifferentiated carcinomas, are the least common type of NSCLC.

NSCLC is divided further into adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. All share similar treatment approaches and prognoses but have distinct histologic and clinical characteristics.

According to Emedicine, advanced molecular techniques have identified amplification of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in NSCLC. The most important abnormalities detected are mutations involving the ras family of oncogenes. The ras oncogene family has 3 members: H- ras, K- ras, and N- ras. These genes encode a protein on the inner surface of the cell membrane with GTPase activity and may be involved in signal transduction.

Lung cancer causes and effects

2009-01-30T05:27:00.000-08:00

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and it responsible for the most men and women cancer deaths.

The American Cancer Society estimates that over 200,000 new cases of lung cancer in the U.S. only will be diagnosed, worse yet, because of the fact that only 12-15% of patients with lung cancer are being cured with today's treatments, which means that over 160,000 will die due to lung cancer.

According to an international Cancer Institute, 1 in 13 (7.9%) men and 1 in 16 (6.2%) women will be diagnosed with lung cancer during their lifetime.
According to another research, 9 of 10 (94%) lung cancer cases occurred among people ages 50 and older.
Lung cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly - almost 70% of people diagnosed with the condition are over 65 years of age, while less than 3% of cases occur in people under age 45.

Lung cancer was not common prior to the 1930s but increased dramatically now that everyone knows that tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for:
numerous cancers including cancers of the lung, mouth, oesophagus, breast cancer larynx, kidney, pancreas,stomach and cervix and other diseases and conditions as coronary heart disease.

Lung cancer remains among the most common types of cancers in both men and women worldwide.

What causes lung cancer? - Smoking cigarettes above all.

Tobacco use leads most commonly to diseases affecting the heart and lungs, with about 90% of lung cancers arising as a result of tobacco use. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart attacks, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, and cancer, particularly lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreatic cancer.

The risk of lung cancer increases with your pack-year.

A pack-year is a quantification of cigarette smoking of smoking history - multiplying the number of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked.

A way to measure the amount a person has smoked over a long period of time. 1 pack year is equal to smoking 1 pack per day for 1 year.
Smoking two packs of cigarettes per day for 20 years has a 40 pack-year smoking history.
Having 30-pack-year history or more means having the greatest risk for the development of lung cancer.

How to calculate my Pack-year?

Use this pack-year calculator
Important - According to the calculator website, a cigar is considered equivalent to 4 cigarettes and a cigarillo is considered equivalent to 2 cigarettes. Cigarillos are a small, thin type of cigar such as a Hamlet or Cafe Creme. One pack year is equivalent to 7300 cigarettes smoked. One Pipe is equivalent to two and a half cigarettes.

Pipe and cigar smoking can also cause lung cancer, although the risk is not as high as with cigarette smoking. While someone who smokes one pack of cigarettes per day has a risk for the development of lung cancer that is 25 times higher than a nonsmoker, pipe and cigar smokers have a risk of lung cancer that is about five times that of a nonsmoker.

How Chantix helps you to quit smoking

2009-01-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

Are you trying to quit smoking? Great!

Varenicline (Chantix) is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. FDA to help adults quit smoking by acting on the same receptors in the brain as nicotine, resulting in activation of these receptors and blocking the ability of nicotine to attach to these receptors.
How much money Chantix cost? - Without insurance Chantix will cost you around $145 for a 4 week supply which is actually much cheaper than the actual act of smoking.

Chantix is a new Rx drug on the market which does not contain nicotine. Chantix should be taken seven days prior to the date an individual desires to quit smoking, and most people will keep taking Chantix for up to 12 weeks.

Chantix Side effects might include vague nausea, intense and very strange vivid dreams, agitation, terrible gas and bloating.

Chantix is not appropriate for use by pregnant and breast-feeding women and people with certain chronic medical conditions.

Although there were several lawsuit against the medication, CHANTIX has been proven to help people quit.

Here's how it's different from other quit-smoking products:
In studies, 44% of CHANTIX users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment (vs 18% on sugar pill).
It comes with GETQUIT™, a support plan created just for CHANTIX users and designed to help protect them against slipping up.

Chantix works in two ways:
It targets nicotine receptors in the brain, attaches to them, and blocks nicotine from reaching them, reducing cravings for cigarettes and other tobacco products.
It activates these receptors, causing a reduced release of dopamine compared to nicotine.

Nicotine replacement therapy NRT

2009-01-30T05:02:00.000-08:00

prescription drugs and treatments can help you reduce the nicotine cravings and side effects associated with smoking cessation. Prescription drugs include nicotine products and the oral drug bupropion hydrochloride (Zyban, Wellbutrin).

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) does not "make" you stop smoking, yet, it brings nicotine into your bloodstream without smoking. NRT has been shown to be safe and effective in helping people stop smoking cigarettes when used as part of a comprehensive smoking cessation program.

NRT medicines are less effective when they used by people outside a stop-smoking programs or when they are used for less then 10 weeks.

NRT medicines are available as Nicotine gum, patches, tablets / lozenges.
NRT is also available by prescription as a nasal spray and as a puffer ("inhaler").
A smoking cessation program can take many forms, including a personal smoking cessation plan or telephone counseling.

Chantix is also a prescription medication that is used to help you quit smoking.
Other agents appear to be less effective than nicotine replacement therapy for cessation of smoking include:

serotonin reuptake antagonists, clonidine and calcium channel blockers.

Why and how to quit smoking

2009-01-30T04:50:00.001-08:00

Quitting smoking immediately makes you feel better. No matter what quit-smoking aid or tip you use to become smoking free - Zyban, Patches,pills, Nicotine Gum, and mental medications as Hypnotherapy or hypnosis, benfits are it is hard to quit smoking cigarette but you should be doing anything that could help you to never lit one up again.

Now...
What happens to you when you quit and what are Long-term Benefits of Quitting?

You regain taste and smell senses.
The cilia in your lungs begins to regenerate within a few days.
Your breath smells better.
Your cough goes away.
Lack of nicotine will make you feel tense and you will become angry at everyone, but timeline is at your side: after 5 hours 90% of the nicotine has already left your system, 6-9 hours after not smoking most of it is gone and after 2 days the rest should be out of your body.

Quitting smoking saves you money, as a pack-a-day smoker who pays $4.5 per pack you will save more than $1500 per year.

Quitting smoking cuts the risk of lung cancer, many other cancers, heart disease, stroke, and other lung or breathing (respiratory) diseases (e.g., bronchitis, pneumonia, and emphysema).

Getting ready to quit smoking-What are the steps in quitting?

Set a date for quitting.
Try thinking of yourself as a non-smoker
Keep fighting the urge to smoke and the craving
Take up a new hobbies, put all your engery in your new hobbies.
Beware of things that’s going to make you get stressed out.
Don’t let the thoughts win
Smile! - you don’t smell like an ashtray
Remember that you don’t need cigarettes, their just playing mind games with you.
Force yourself to hate the sight & smell of smoking.
Even if you keep getting the urge to smoke find something to do for the next 10 minutes instead of smoking.
Your problems are not solved just because you had a cigarette.

Smoking effects and how It causes lung problems

2009-01-30T04:44:00.000-08:00

Its very important you learn how smoking affects your body, your lungs and health.

Smoking effects your skin - see how .

Everyone knows that smoking is harmful and addictive, but few people realize just how risky and addictive it is.
The guardian reports that One in three girls a smoker by age 16, a study has found that health education lessons warning of the dangers of smoking did not have a lasting effect.

Children given these lessons in the early years of secondary school were less likely to smoke at 13-14, but when the researchers returned two years later the benefit was lost.

What happens when you smoke?
Every time you inhale smoke from a cigarette, you hurt your alveoli - Found in the lung, the pulmonary alveoli are spherical outcroppings of the respiratory bronchioles and are the primary sites of gas exchange with the blood. The problem - Alveoli don't grow back, so destroying them means permanently destroying part of your lungs.

Addiction:
Smoking is stupid and it is all in your brain- From cnn - Inhaling burning dried tobbaco plant leaves that have been added with a whole handful of carcinogenic additives by a multi-billion dollar corporation that is earning money off of you for your whole entire life
A smoking addiction means a person has formed an uncontrollable dependence on cigarettes to the point where stopping smoking would cause severe emotional, mental, or physical reactions.

Chances are that about one in three smokers who do not stop will eventually die because of their smoking. Some will die even in their 40s - on average, they will die 10 to 15 years earlier than they would have died from other causes.

Nicotine is the component of cigarettes that addicts.
Smoking addiction is a chronic disease with reliance on the substance causing the addiction. The addictive substance also causes the accompanying deterioration of a person's physical and psychological health.

Type of addictive behavior:
Compulsive behavior - Addict makes sure that the substance is always available. Habitual behavior - Which is using the substance regularly or occasionally for the desirable effects.

This is a link to a list of 599 additives in cigarettes, taken from wikipedia.

Smoking is bad for you - A friend of mine who has smoked for 20 years and is now 50, is now suffering from emphysema and is on oxygen 24/7.
Remember - By smoking, you can cause health problems not only for yourself but also for those around you.

Smoking is an addiction. Tobacco contains nicotine, a drug that is addictive.
I am a 15 yr long tobacco smoker, and I have 10 years of trying to quit, and I know just how Nicotine addicted.

The nicotine makes it very difficult to quit. In fact, even though everyone knows n the dangers of smoking, more than 400,000 deaths occur in the U.S. each year from smoking-related illnesses. Smoking greatly increases the risk of getting lung cancer, heart attack, chronic lung disease, stroke, and other types of cancer.

How does smoking effect your heart

What is passive smoking and its effects

2009-01-30T04:33:00.000-08:00

Secondhand smoke, known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers.

Passive smoking is the inhalation of tobacco smoke from other smokers sharing living or working quarters. Passive smoking causes significant increase in risk for developing lung cancer when compared with other non-smokers. There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers some damage is reversible, but some is not.

Secondhand smoke statistics - It causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers each year that are attributable to passive smoking.

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25–30%.
Breathing secondhand smoke can have immediate adverse effects on your blood and blood vessels, potentially increasing the risk of a heart attack.

Secondhand smoke is measured by testing indoor air for nicotine or other smoke constituents. Exposure to secondhand smoke can be tested by measuring the levels of cotinine (a nicotine by-product in the body) in the nonsmoker’s blood, saliva, or urine . Nicotine, cotinine, carbon monoxide, and other evidence of secondhand smoke exposure have been found in the body fluids of nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

Since Secondhand smoke contain harmful chemicals, secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults who have never smoked themselves.
Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20–30%.

Passive smoking causes ill-health in children and it negatively affect the learning abilities and behaviour of children.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals, Of the more than 4,000 chemicals that have been identified in secondhand tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, and 50 of these are known to cause cancer, including arsenic,benzene,beryllium and more.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov

Secondhand smoke exposure has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease.

Secondhand smoke is estimated to cause from 22,000 to 70000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers.

Breathing secondhand smoke interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of a heart attack.

For some of these negative effects, the immediate impact of even short exposures to secondhand smoke appears to be almost as large as that observed in active smokers.
As with active smoking, there is a dose-response relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and lung cancer—the longer the duration and the higher the level of exposure, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer.

Short exposures to secondhand smoke can:

cause your blood platelets to become stickier.
damage the lining of blood vessels.
decrease coronary flow velocity reserves to levels observed in smokers
reduce heart rate variability.
damage cells in ways that set the cancer process in motion

Important - Passive Smoking During Pregnancy can harm your child's health, and even after your baby is born, passive smoking increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women.
Every year more U.S. women die from lung cancer than die from breast cancer.
Most cases of lung cancer are caused by active smoking, but exposure to secondhand smoke is an important cause among non smokers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health National Toxicology Program, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have concluded that secondhand smoke is a known human carcinogen.

What is the Definition of lung cancer

2009-01-30T04:31:00.000-08:00

Cancer of the lung forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages.

There are two main types of lung cancer:
small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope.

Estimated new cases and deaths from lung cancer (non-small cell and small cell combined) in the United States in 2008:

New cases: 215,000
Deaths: 161,800

Lung cancer results from an abnormality in the body's basic unit of life, the cell.

Normally, the body maintains a system of checks and balances on cell growth so that cells divide to produce new cells only when needed. Disruption of this system of checks and balances on cell growth results in an uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells that eventually forms a mass known as a tumor.

Tumors can be benign - usually can be removed without spreading to other parts of the body, or malignant -related to "cancer".

Benign tumors can usually be removed. Malignant tumors, grow aggressively and invade other tissues of the body - metastasis, allowing entry of tumor cells into the bloodstream or lymphatic system and then to other sites in the body.

It is a very life-threatening cancer and one of the most difficult cancers to treat, since lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize very early in its course. Lung cancer metastasis most commonly affects the spine, ribs, pelvis, adrenal glands, liver, brain, and bone,

Tumor metastases are made up of the same type of cells as the primary tumor - If liver cancer spreads via the bloodstream to the lungs, it is metastatic liver cancer in the lung. It is not considered a lung cancer.