http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lung/lung-cancer-blog.html Lung cancer blog from medicineworld.org adds a personal touch to the stories related to lung cancer. This lung cancer blog brings you stories of hope, stories of survivors and latest news and research related to lung cancer. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT en-us http://medicineworld.org/images/blogs/lung-cancer/lung-cancer.jpg http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lung/lung-cancer-blog.html 116 72 http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/cut-down-on-smoking-using-nicotine-gum.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/cut-down-on-smoking-using-nicotine-gum.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Nicotine gum has been in use for over 20 years to help smokers quit abruptly yet close to two-thirds of smokers report that they would prefer to quit gradually. Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare have now observed that smokers who are trying to quit gradually can also be helped by nicotine gum. The results of the first study to test the efficacy and safety of using nicotine gum to assist cessation by gradual reduction are reported in the February 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/new-tumor-suppressor-genes-for-lung-cancer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/new-tumor-suppressor-genes-for-lung-cancer.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Cancer and cell biology experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new tumor suppressor that may help researchers develop more targeted drug therapies to combat lung cancer. The study, led by Jorge Moscat, PhD, appears in the January 2009 issue of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Proto-oncogenes are genes that play a role in normal cell growth (turnover of cells and tissue) but, when genetically modified, can cause the out-of-control cell division that leads to cancer. Prior research had established that Ras, a proto-oncogene, is abnormally expressed in up to 25 percent of human lung cancers; however, scientists did not understand the specific cellular events by which abnormal Ras expression leads to transformation........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/taking-one-gene-at-a-time-in-lung-cancer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/taking-one-gene-at-a-time-in-lung-cancer.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT While examining patterns of DNA modification in lung cancer, a team of international scientists has discovered what they say is a surprising new mechanism. They say that "silencing" of a single gene in lung cancer led to a general impairment in genome-wide changes in cells, contributing to cancer development and progression........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/speed-spread-of-lung-cancer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/speed-spread-of-lung-cancer.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT New research in an animal model suggests that a diet high in inorganic phosphates, which are found in a variety of processed foods including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products, might speed growth of lung cancer tumors and may even contribute to the development of those tumors in individuals predisposed to the disease........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/genes-that-may-cause-lung-cancer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/genes-that-may-cause-lung-cancer.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Individuals with particular variants of certain genes involved in metabolizing the most potent carcinogen found in cigarette smoke have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. That is the conclusion of a new study reported in the February 1, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-evaluated journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results may help shed light on how lung cancer develops and could have important implications for preventing smoking-related cancers........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2008/mokers-develop-lung-cancer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2008/mokers-develop-lung-cancer.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Canadian scientists are trying to answer why some smokers develop lung cancer while others remain disease free, despite similar changes in lifestyle. Results were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2008/concurrent-chemotherapy-in-lung-cancer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2008/concurrent-chemotherapy-in-lung-cancer.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Patients treated for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer who receive chemotherapy and proton beam treatment have fewer instances of bone marrow toxicity than patients who receive the standard therapy of intensity-modulated radiation (IMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy, as per scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2008/makes-perfect-in-lung-cancer-surgery.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2008/makes-perfect-in-lung-cancer-surgery.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Patients operated on by surgeons who do not routinely remove cancer from the lungs may be at a higher risk for complications, as per a research studyconducted by scientists at Duke University Medical Center. "Our study observed that hospitals that do higher volumes of these types of surgeries have correspondingly lower mortality rates than those who do fewer of the procedures," said Andrew Shaw, M.D., an anesthesiologist at Duke and lead investigator on the study........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2008/novel-lung-cancer-vaccine-trial-launched.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2008/novel-lung-cancer-vaccine-trial-launched.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Oncologists at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla are hoping to stave off the relentless march of advanced lung cancer by treating patients with a novel kind of cancer vaccine. While a number of vaccines attempt to pump up the immune system to fight off a cancer, the new vaccine, Lucanix, is genetically engineered to also trick the cancer into turning off its immune system-suppressing activities........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/9-2008/less-nicotine-to-the-brain-than-regular-cigarettes.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/9-2008/less-nicotine-to-the-brain-than-regular-cigarettes.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT For decades now, cigarette makers have marketed so-called light cigarettes which contain less nicotine than regular smokes with the implication that they are less harmful to smokers' health. A new UCLA study shows, however, that they deliver nearly as much nicotine to the brain. Reporting in the current online edition of the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, UCLA psychiatry professor Dr. Arthur L. Brody and his colleagues observed that low-nicotine cigarettes act similarly to regular cigarettes, occupying a significant percentage of the brain's nicotine receptors........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/9-2008/physicians-may-miss-opportunities.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/9-2008/physicians-may-miss-opportunities.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT In a small study of 20 audiorecorded interactions, physicians seldom responded empathetically to concerns raised by lung cancer patients, as per a report in the September 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Empathy is an important element of effective communication between patients and physicians and is linked to improved patient satisfaction and compliance with recommended therapy," the authors write as background information in the article. "Patients who are more satisfied with the communication in their medical encounters have improved understanding of their condition, with less anxiety and improved mental functioning." However, responding to patients' emotional needs can be challenging for physicians; they may begin medical school with empathy for their patients but gradually learn detachment, perhaps in order to cope with time constraints or sadness........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/9-2008/pazopanib-shrinks-lung-cancers-before-surgery.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/9-2008/pazopanib-shrinks-lung-cancers-before-surgery.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Pazopanib, a new oral angiogenesis inhibitor, has demonstrated interesting activity in difficult to treat non-small-cell lung cancer, US scientists report. In a phase II trial, 30 out of 35 patients treated with preoperative pazopanib for a minimum of two weeks saw their tumor size shrink by up to 85%........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/disorder-doubles-risk-of-lung-cancer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/disorder-doubles-risk-of-lung-cancer.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Mayo Clinic scientists have observed that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers. The study is reported in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association. Scientists observed that the genetic disorder, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (1ATD), could explain up to about 12 percent of patients with lung cancer in this study and likely represents the same widespread risk in the general population. "This is a seriously underdiagnosed disorder and suggests that people who have lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) in their families should be screened for these gene carriers," says Ping Yang, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist and lead investigator on the study........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/determining-genetic-signature-of-lung-tumors.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/determining-genetic-signature-of-lung-tumors.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT The first U.S. clinical trial using genetic screening to identify lung tumors likely to respond to targeted therapies supports the use of those drugs as first-line therapy rather than after standard chemotherapy has failed. While the study led by Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center researchers observed that upfront gefitinib (Iressa) therapy considerably improved the outcomes for non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC), additional research is mandatory before such a strategy can be used for routine therapy planning. The report appears in the May 20 Journal of Clinical Oncology........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/4-2008/mouth-may-tell-the-tale-of-lung-damage.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/4-2008/mouth-may-tell-the-tale-of-lung-damage.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Cells lining the mouth reflect the molecular damage that smoking does to the lining of the lungs, scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Examining oral tissue lining the mouth to gauge cancer-inducing molecular alterations in the lungs could spare patients and those at risk of lung cancer from more invasive, uncomfortable procedures used now, said senior researcher Li Mao, M.D., professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/2-2008/pet-outperforms-ct-in-malignant-lung-nodules.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/2-2008/pet-outperforms-ct-in-malignant-lung-nodules.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:46:30 GMT Scientists involved in a large, multi-institutional study comparing the accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) in the characterization of lung nodules observed that PET was far more reliable in detecting whether or not a nodule was cancerous. "CT and PET have been widely used to characterize solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) as non-malignant or cancerous," said James W. Fletcher, professor of radiology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Ind. "Almost all prior studies examining the accuracy of CT for characterizing lung nodules, however, were performed more than 15 years ago with outdated technology and methods, and prior PET studies were limited by small sample sizes," he noted........ ]]>