Early Signs of Lung Cancer Non Smoker

Early signs of lung cancer non smoker - Dee Hunt never smoked. Even the five sisters and her brothers. I don't have any exposure to radon or to asbestos. This has not prevented each of them to be diagnosed with lung cancer. Their parents were smokers, but they all went home for more than 30 years before any one of them to be diagnosed. For the most part of his life, the smoke side was never raised as a health risk or concern.

"I thought it was only smoking," said Hunt in an interview recently about his impressions of early lung cancer. Now he knows better. "It is in our environment. Is what we breathe. It's in our genes. The elder sister of his Hunt has died of lung cancer only six months after she was diagnosed with the disease. Early signs of lung cancer non smoker - 7 early 9 what is usually the first sign pain or throat NHS most frequent how to detect small cell coughing and symptoms mayo clinic - This diagnosis was preceded by three years of being misdiagnosed with pneumonia.

This test determined her on the Hunt, now 58 years old, to take health into their own hands. She began to push a screening of the lungs to identify any cancer. Finally got the screening and, when he did, doctors discovered a small tumor. Other brothers have followed suit, with all those diagnosed eventually with tumors of different sizes.

Hunt was treated by removing the left part of the affected lung. At this point she said she was told that she was cancer-free. But after a few months had the very uncomfortable symptoms of a cough, back pain surfaced. She returned to the object, treating it, and was diagnosed with a lung infection and assured that her cancer has not returned. After several months of antibiotics, her symptoms worsened. This time she was diagnosed with cancer in the opposite lung, and the doctors wanted to remove the whole lung. She was 53 years old.

Early Signs of Lung Cancer Non Smoker

Early Signs of Lung Cancer Non Smoker
Related: Symptoms of Lung Cancer Due to Smoking
Then she went to City of hope for a second opinion. She saw Dan Raza, M. D., co-Director of the lung cancer Program and Thoracic Oncology at the city of hope. He assured her that while she didn't need to remove the lung. He ordered a CT scan, and she began a new treatment plan in the City of Hope. She continued to take care of Karen Reckamp, M. D., M. S., co-Director of the lung cancer Program and Thoracic Oncology. Early signs of lung cancer non smoker - Cancer and oral medication applied to her lung cancer, and now she returns to City of hope every four weeks for "maintenance" chemotherapy.

Now hunt is a virtual almanac of statistics of lung cancer. In the five years since her diagnosis, she was armed with everything she could gather from their doctors, research publications, Internet and conferences. According to estimates, this year from this disease will die 160,000 people. Of these, 28 000 are non-smokers or stopped Smoking years before their diagnosis.

The mission of the Hunt - in addition to the conquest of cancer own is triple. "Stop the stigma. Increase the funding. Take the screening ", she said. I want to be a check for each person, the same as a mammogram.

Although applaud screening low scan with small doses for smokers heavy - which remains controversial, Medicare debating if it will cover test - is disappointed that the screening is intended only for smokers. No one in her family would not be in accordance with the guidelines, she stresses. This means that the responsibility for persons with family histories of powerful lung cancer is to know the early signs and to fight for diagnosis and treatment.

If your cancer is in the early stages, you have a chance of 75 to 80% to beat this thing, " said Hunt. "When you have that cough or pain in the back or if you have difficulty in breathing, it is too late. You are Stage 3 or 4. I thought I had something else. I ignored these symptoms. That's why, I think that screening should be absolute if you came from a family that smoked, if you have a family history if you seem to have the symptoms. "Hunt now has some advice for people diagnosed with lung cancer or any cancer.

Early Signs of Lung Cancer Non Smoker

Get a second opinion. Hunt was first diagnosed with a lung infection, so he had a surgery on his lungs. Just not surgery addressed her illness. Early signs of lung cancer non smoker - When he came back cancer and was misdiagnosed, he was frustrated, to say the very least. To go from being told it was an infection to her doctor advising her to remove a whole lung finally pushed her to a obtaining a second opinion. "I was so afraid to hurt the feelings of a doctor, I didn't put my foot down".
See Also: Lung Cancer Symptoms in Men
Go to a center and comprehensive cancer. "Just because a place has a building with a name on it doesn't mean that they necessarily see many patients with lung cancer," said Hunt. "They can show as many people as possible in a year, as does City of Hope in a month." Expertise makes the difference. "If you have cancer, go to someone who does nothing but cancer," she said. "Everything I see is all I know."

Lawyers for you. The doctor may be the specialist medical, but you're the expert when it comes to your body and your own life. Come prepared. Be honest with all your concerns. Ask questions. If you do not have confidence in the answers or have any doubts, do not hesitate to consult other experts.

Look at the screen. Screening is the best hope for catching lung cancer early, says Hunt. She believes that screening should be open to all - not just the current smokers and ex, which currently recommends the Working Group for Preventive Services in the U. S. A. never smoked and still developed lung cancer. Early signs of lung cancer non smoker - Say that and she would be able to benefit from an earlier diagnosis.

Know the signs and not ignore them. Hunt had a cough, pain in the back and shortness of breath - but thought that the symptoms were caused by something else. According to the American Cancer Society, common symptoms of lung cancer include: (a cough that doesn't go away or gets worse, chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing or laughing, hoarseness persistent, unexplained loss in weight and loss of appetite, cough with blood, shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue and weakness unexplained, bronchitis or pneumonia that doesn't go away or reappears, and the emergence of breath wheezing). With all that many other conditions can cause these symptoms, if you have them, see your doctor and check them out. This can save your life.

Early Signs of Lung Cancer Non Smoker

While smoking is a cause indisputable of lung cancer, not all cases of lung cancer occur in smokers or former smokers. Every year, over 170,000 Americans develop lung cancer, and approximately ten percent of cancers of the lung, or 17,000 cases, occur in non-smokers. Although not all non-smokers suffering from lung cancer will have a risk factor identified for the development of the disease, have been identified a series of conditions and circumstances that will increase the chances of a smoker to develop lung cancer.

Passive smoking or inhalation of tobacco smoke from other smokers who share housing or employment is a risk factor established for the development of lung cancer. Non-smokers who live with a smoker have a 24% rise in the risk of lung cancer compared with other smokers. Every year, it is estimated that in the U.S. is recorded up to 3,000 deaths caused by lung cancer that is attributed to passive smoking.
See Also: What is Mesothelioma Cancer
Radon gas, a natural gas that forms when uranium decays, is another known cause of lung cancer. It is estimated that approximately 12% of all deaths caused by lung cancer both in smokers and non-smokers, or 15 000 to 22 000 deaths related to lung cancer annually in the United States are considered to be at least partially related to exposure to radon. Those who smoke and are exposed to radon have a higher risk of developing lung cancer than nonsmokers exposed to radon gas. The gas from radon can travel through soil and can enter homes through gaps in the foundation, pipes, drains or other openings. The Environmental Protection Agency in the U. S. A. is estimated that one in 15 homes in the U.s. contain dangerous levels of the gas radio nice. Radon gas is invisible and odorless, but can be detected with the kits simple test.

Asbestos is a compound which has been used widely in the past as thermal insulation material and acoustic. The fibers microscopic asbestos break of the insulation material and are released into the air where they can be inhaled into the lungs. Asbestos fibers can persist for a lifetime in lung tissue after asbestos exposure. Both lung cancer and a type of cancer known as mesothelioma are associated with exposure to asbestos. Cigarette smoke drastically increases the chance of developing a lung cancer related to asbestos among workers exposed to asbestos; however, workers with asbestos who do not smoke have a risk five times higher to develop lung cancer than other nonsmokers. Today, the use of asbestos is restricted or prohibited in many countries, including the United States.

Early signs of lung cancer non smoker - Heredity, since all smokers do not eventually develop lung cancer, it is possible that other factors, such as the genetic susceptibility of the individual, to play a role in causing lung cancer. Numerous studies have shown that lung cancer is more likely to occur both to the relatives of smoking, as well as those who have never smoked of those who have suffered lung cancer than in the general population.

Air pollution produced by vehicles, industry and power plants can increase the risk of lung cancer for exposed individuals. It is estimated that up to 2,000 deaths from lung cancer per year can be attributed to the polluted air in the breathing and many experts believe that prolonged exposure to air heavily polluted may have a risk for developing lung cancer similar to that of passive smoking.