LungBlog

A ‘carcinogen’ is something that can help to cause cancer. Tobacco smoke is a powerful carcinogen. But not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer. So there must be other factors at work.

Novartis’ nonsmall cell lung cancer drug ASA404, which is designed to selectively reduce blood supply to tumors, has entered a Phase III trial.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter ATTRACT-1 study will evaluate ASA404 in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin as a first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Researchers from West Virginia University have reported that positron emission tomography (PET) is useful for staging of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The details of this study appeared in the January 2008 issue of Clinical Lung Cancer

In wake of news that its inhaled insulin product Exubera has been linked to lung cancer, Pfizer Inc. has announced that it will cease manufacturing the drug and update labels on the remaining product to carry a cancer warning.

Doctors may be able to determine the extent of a smoker’s lung damage by looking in his or her mouth, according to new research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Because smoking exposes both the lungs and oral cavity to tobacco carcinogens, the scientists hypothesized that cells lining the mouth undergo molecular alterations similar to those in other parts of the airway and therefore could be used as surrogate tissue to assess molecular damage to the lungs, says senior study author Li Mao, M.D., a professor of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology and of systems biology at M. D. Anderson.

Q.  I am a former smoker, should I get a CAT scan screening for lung cancer?

Damage to cells lining the mouth can predict similar damage in the lungs that eventually leads to lung cancer in smokers, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.

Doctors from around the United Kingdom are taking part in one of the world’s largest lung cancer clinical trials investigating how a blood thinning drug might help prevent blood clots in lung cancer patients.

Soon, Cuba will not only be world famous for its cigars but also for a very promising vaccine meant to treat lung cancer and possibly other solid cancers.

Cuban Centre of Molecular Immunology Project Manager Dr Gisela Gonzalez Marinello stated that around 200-350 patients have been treated in Cuba with the vaccine during its clinical trial period and this has proven successful.

“One of the misconceptions about lung cancer is that women think they aren’t susceptible to it. But sadly, lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women in the U.S.,” said Joan Schiller, MD, president, National Lung Cancer Partnership. “It is our goal to help women understand and be aware of their risks for lung cancer so they can be the best advocates for their own health.”

According to Dr. Schiller, awareness among women about lung cancer is low. In a survey conducted by National Lung Cancer Partnership, only 12 percent of women believe they know the symptoms of lung cancer and fewer than 10 percent said they have talked to their doctors about their risk for lung cancer. Only 36 percent of women were aware that lung cancer kills more women each year than breast cancer.