New NHS figures have shown that the mortality rate from lung cancer among women in Scotland is on the rise. In the last decade up to 2008, deaths from lung cancer decreased by 21% in men, but increased by 11% in women. “These health inequalities are unacceptable and we are tackling them on a number of fronts,” said a Scottish government spokeswoman. “For example, we are taking a wide range of measures to combat excess drinking, making cigarettes less attractive and less available to young people, and encouraging other healthy lifestyle choices.”

Lung cancer and mesothelioma are as different from one another as chalk and cheese. Lung cancer is caused by a multitude of reasons and smoking is one of them. But mesothelioma lung cancer is caused exclusively by exposure to asbestos particles. The disease covers the protective layer of the pleural cavity, the mesothelium. Unfortunately, the cancer has a long gestation period and symptoms come up only after the infection spreads all over. This results in many deaths that could have been avoided.

Lauren LaViola’s feet were propped against the edge of the roof of theWit hotel as she dangled from a harness, studiously avoiding looking down at the sidewalk 27 stories below.

“There’s just one little problem,” said the man who had clipped her into the ropes and prepared her to rappel down the glass facade.

“What!” she screamed.

“You need to smile.”

LaViola looked as though she wanted to hit the guy, but smile she did. She was rappelling to honor her father, Larry, who died in August of lung cancer only 10 weeks after his diagnosis.

Nearly an hour before a new cancer research building was dedicated early Tuesday at the Nevada Cancer Institute, one car sat in front of the huge three-story structure.

The driver rolled down the Chevrolet Malibu’s window, shared a few pleasantries with a stranger about the howling, chilly wind, and then said it wouldn’t be long before his daughter, a cancer researcher, showed up for the ceremony.

AstraZeneca (AZN.L) has pulled regulatory submissions for its experimental drug Zactima plus chemotherapy as a treatment for lung cancer, dealing a blow to its new product pipeline and hitting its shares.

Justin Andrews first picked up smoking at the age of 14, yet had quit only five months before doctors diagnosed him with stage IV lung cancer. At the time of diagnosis the cancer had spread through most of Justin’s 28-year-old body with tumors in both lungs, liver, neck, ribs, shoulder, hips, and spine.

Given Justin’s age, his Duke doctors speculated that his case was not solely related to smoking, for Justin does have a family history of lung cancer.  Justin is the proud father of a three-year-old son, Jeffrey.  Through positive thoughts and colossal faith, Justin, Jeffrey and his wife, Kristy, showed the world that Justin is not just another statistic.  On August, 11, 2009, after months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments and just weeks before his one-year diagnosis anniversary, Justin’s PET scan was clean, showing no evidence of disease and he was declared in remission.

The Translational Genomics Research Institute and Scottsdale Healthcare aided by computer models uncovered the courses of lung cancer which may lead to discoveries of new drugs. The study is released in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. This can be found online, whereas the printed version is expected to see the light in the journal`s November issue.

Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually and 5,630 citizens in North Carolina each year– more than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. Lung cancer is frequently diagnosed too late because there is no standard screening test and symptoms can be subtle. More than half of those diagnosed will succumb within a year, and only 15 percent will live five years or more. These startling statistics are why Governor Bev Perdue has declared November as Lung Cancer Awareness Month in North Carolina.

Today, Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI) opened the doors to the Ralph and Betty Engelstad Cancer Research Building, allowing the Institute to take the next step in fulfilling its research mission. Community leaders, NVCI staff, faculty, donors, supporters and patients gathered for a dedication to celebrate the opening of the third major building on the Institute’s rapidly growing campus and the first solely devoted to research.

More women are dying of lung cancer in Scotland, new NHS figures have shown.

The updated cancer mortality statistics show the rise bucks the trend for death rates from other types of cancer, all of which are going down.

Over the 10 years to 2008, lung cancer deaths in men went down by 21% but increased by more than 11% among women.