| When Dana Reeve, widow of actor
| |
| | studies with people). Some of these
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| Christopher Reeve, died of lung cancer,
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| | agents are being investigated as single
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| the stories of her death pointed out that
| |
| | agents; others are being tested in
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| she didn't smoke. She was young, only 44;
| |
| | combinations of two drugs.
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| she had nursed her paralyzed husband for
| |
| | Chemoprevention trials look at possible
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| eight years; she left a
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| | ways to prevent cancer with interventions
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| 13-year-old son an orphan. And how could
| |
| | that include drugs, vitamins, diet,
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| she have gotten lung cancer? She had
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| | hormone therapy, or other agents.
|
| never smoked.Lung cancer is often
| |
| | The American Cancer Society (ACS) has set
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| preventable, and it is usually fatal.
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| | aggressive challenge goals for the nation
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| Unfortunately I will also become a victim
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| | to decrease cancer incidence and
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| of this disease. Not for myself, but a
| |
| | mortality--and to improve the quality of
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| victim because I am a friend of a lung
| |
| | life of cancer survivors--by the year
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| cancer person. One of my very dearest
| |
| | 2015. To address these critical goals,
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| friends will undergo a lung operation
| |
| | the ACS publishes the Nutrition and
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| this coming Tuesday.
| |
| | Physical Activity Guidelines to serve as
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| Be cautious of any information or claims
| |
| | a foundation for its communication,
|
| obtained from unmonitored sources, in
| |
| | policy, and community strategies and
|
| particular the Internet. The Internet can
| |
| | ultimately, to affect dietary and
|
| be an empowering source of information,
| |
| | physical activity patterns among
|
| but a healthcare professional should be
| |
| | Americans.
|
| consulted before making medical
| |
| | These guidelines, published every five
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| decisions.
| |
| | years, are developed by a national panel
|
| What is cancer?
| |
| | of experts in cancer research,
|
| Cancer is a disease that starts in our
| |
| | prevention, epidemiology, public health,
|
| cells. Our bodies are made up of millions
| |
| | and policy, and as such, they represent
|
| of cells, grouped together to form
| |
| | the most current scientific evidence
|
| tissues or organs. Genes inside each cell
| |
| | related to dietary and activity patterns
|
| order it to grow, work, reproduce and
| |
| | and cancer risk. The ACS guidelines
|
| die.
| |
| | are consistent with guidelines from the
|
| Normally, our cells remain healthy.
| |
| | American Heart Association for the
|
| Sometimes a cell's instructions get mixed
| |
| | prevention of coronary heart disease as
|
| up and it behaves abnormally. After a
| |
| | well as for general health promotion, as
|
| while, groups of abnormal cells can
| |
| | defined by the Department of Health and
|
| circulate in the blood or immune system,
| |
| | Human Services' 2000 Dietary Guidelines
|
| or they can form lumps or tumours.
| |
| | for Americans.
|
| Tumours can be either benign
| |
| | In 2006 there will be an estimated
|
| (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
| |
| | 174,470 new cases of lung cancer and an
|
| Benign tumour cells stay in one place in
| |
| | estimated 162,460 Americans will die from
|
| the body and are not usually
| |
| | the disease.
|
| life-threatening.
| |
| | The American Cancer Society offers
|
| Malignant tumour cells are able to invade
| |
| | support and hope for people diagnosed
|
| the tissues around them and spread to
| |
| | with lung cancer and their families as
|
| other parts of the body. Cancerous cells
| |
| | well as resources to help smokers quit 24
|
| that spread to other parts of the body
| |
| | hours a day, 7 days a week, including its
|
| are called metastases. The first sign
| |
| | own Quitline, which since its launch in
|
| that a malignant tumour has spread is
| |
| | May 2000 has provided services to more
|
| often swelling of nearby lymph nodes, but
| |
| | than 150,000 callers. For more
|
| cancer can metastasize to almost any part
| |
| | information, call 800-ACS-2345 or visit
|
| of the body. It is important to find
| |
| | Lung cancer chemoprevention - Why does it
|
| malignant tumours early and treat them.
| |
| | not work?From the National Cancer Center.
|
| Cancers are named after the part of the
| |
| | Common wisdom is that vitamin in fruits
|
| body where they start. For example,
| |
| | and vegetables prevent cancer. However,
|
| cancer that starts in the colon but
| |
| | trials of supplementing vitamins like
|
| spreads to the liver is called colon
| |
| | vitamin A analogues (retinoids:
|
| cancer with liver metastases.
| |
| | beta-carotene, retinol, retinyl
|
| There are four main types of lung cancer:
| |
| | palmitate, or isotretinoin) or vitamin E
|
| small cell lung cancer, squamous cell
| |
| | (alpha-tocopherol), did not prevent lung
|
| carcinoma, large cell carcinoma and
| |
| | cancer in smokers. Randomised trials in
|
| adenocarcinoma. Tobacco smoking is
| |
| | all the three settings: primary (healthy
|
| strongly linked to the first three but
| |
| | high-risk e.g. smokers), secondary
|
| only weakly linked to adenocarcinoma.
| |
| | (pre-malignant lesions), and tertiary
|
| However, this type of lung cancer has
| |
| | (prevention of second primary tumours in
|
| been linked to the use of low-tar
| |
| | previously treated patients), have
|
| cigarettes.
| |
| | produced negative results (either neutral
|
| The best means of prevention is to never
| |
| | or harmful).
|
| start smoking or using chewing tobacco,
| |
| | Chemoprevention trials were prompted by
|
| or to stop using tobacco products. A
| |
| | relationship between diet and lung
|
| healthy diet is an important part of
| |
| | cancer. Diet rich in foliage vitamins was
|
| prevention.
| |
| | protective against lung cancer - as
|
| The outlook varies by cell type and stage
| |
| | demonstrated in a recent Dutch study of
|
| of the disease. In general, the prognosis
| |
| | 939 patients. Similarly, higher blood
|
| is better for squamous cell cancers than
| |
| | level of ß-carotene is linked to a lower
|
| for adenocarcinomas. Early detection is
| |
| | risk of lung cancer. Nonetheless,
|
| key to better chances of survival.
| |
| | intervention trials failed to show a
|
| According to the American Lung
| |
| | reduced risk in lung cancer by consuming
|
| Association, 87 percent of lung cancer
| |
| | ß-carotene. A phase III trial, the
|
| cases are caused by smoking. Another 12
| |
| | Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene (ATBC)
|
| percent are linked to radon exposure.
| |
| | [beta-carotene (20 mg/d),
|
| Only 15 percent of people diagnosed with
| |
| | alpha-tocopherol (50mg/d)] indicated
|
| the disease will still be alive five
| |
| | significant increases in lung cancer
|
| years after the diagnosis; 60 percent die
| |
| | incidence (18%) and no effect on lung
|
| within the first year. What is
| |
| | cancer mortality (risk ratio, 0.99).
|
| Chemoprevention? For individuals who
| |
| | Another study, CARET, had a 28% increase
|
| demonstrate the greatest risk,
| |
| | in lung cancer with vitamin treatment.
|
| researchers are currently conducting
| |
| | Similarly, in both Euro-scan and the
|
| several new trials to test the use of
| |
| | US-Lung Intergroup Trial (both testing
|
| natural and synthetic substances to
| |
| | retinoids in tertiary prevention),
|
| prevent development of the disease. This
| |
| | results were neutral.
|
| new research has been coined,
| |
| | Disclaimer: please. Any information is
|
| chemoprevention.
| |
| | for general entertainment and educational
|
| The National Cancer Institute's (NCI)
| |
| | purposes only, and should not be
|
| chemoprevention research effort started
| |
| | construed as medical advice, medical
|
| in the early 1980s and has grown
| |
| | opinion, diagnosis or treatment. Any
|
| considerably since that time. Currently,
| |
| | information provided by this web site is
|
| approximately 400 compounds are being
| |
| | not a substitute for actual medical
|
| studied as potential chemopreventive
| |
| | attention. Always promptly consult your
|
| agents, mainly in laboratory research.
| |
| | licensed health-care professional for
|
| Over 40 of these compounds are being
| |
| | medical advice and treatment.
|
| studied in clinical trials (research
| |
| |
|
