Guide4Living

NEW - Early diagnosis for lung cancer

There is a little bit of good news about lung cancer, according to Reuters and China View. They have both recently run articles about a new blood test that can diagnose the most common lung cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, long before an X-ray or CT scan.  In fact, apparently blood samples taken from patients correctly predicted lung cancer long before they were diagnosed with lung cancer.  Basically the test involves antibody profiling meaning that the test looks for the body’s own immune response to tumors (Reuters).  If these new blood tests can be confirmed as reliable, it will be an enormous step in the right direction – early detection!!

The saddest part of lung cancer is that it is mostly self inflicted – through smoking. The World Health Organization has predicted that tobacco is likely to kill more than a billion people in the 21st Century.  That’s huge!  No wonder tobacco has now been labeled the modern plague.

Sadly by the time the lung cancer is detected, it is too late for most people, hence the low survival rate.  This new blood tests could be a ray of hope in the fight against cancer. If you can, do your best to quit smoking.  I am desperately hoping that my husband will give it up.

A friend of mine introduced me to a book called, ‘Easy way to stop smoking’ by Allen Carr.  She got half way through the book and quit smoking.  She has still not read the book completely but she has no desire to smoke again. She has not smoked for over 5 months despite being a single parent (widowed a year ago to a brain tumor) of two teenage children who have put her through immense pressures lately. She was a chronic smoker.  If this book contains a powerful enough message to get her to quit smoking, it must be good.  Any treatment or prevention in my opinion is worth the trouble.

She has recommended the book to me for my husband and I have purchased it.  My husband has not yet shown any interest in reading the book.  He is aware of the connection between lung cancer and smoking but is not ready to quit just yet.  I wait with baited breath.

Here are some quick facts about lung cancer:
Did you know that over 80% of lung cancer is caused by smoking?
Did you know that lung cancer is the biggest killer world wide by miles?
Did you know that the most common form of lung cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, has an average survival rate of only 40%?
Did you know that about 10 million people are diagnosed globally with lung cancer and about half of those people will die within a year of being diagnosed?
Did you know that lung cancer kills more people than breast, colorectal and prostate cancer combined?

By Doreen

Lung Cancer

Please check out our site on lung cancer.  We offer information on things like the different types of lung cancer, the cause of lung cancer, treatment and prevention of lung cancer.

We would value your input, so please tell us what you think and share your own experiences and stories with us for the benefit of all our readers.

Thanks,

Doreen