Symptoms Often Felt Long Before Lung Cancer Found

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=nm/cancer_lung_dc

"It is generally believed that lung cancer is silent, having no signs or symptoms before it is far advanced," Dr. Jessica L. Corner, of the University of Southampton, UK, said in an interview with Reuters Health. Her group's findings, however, suggest that this is not the case.

{snip}

The subjects experienced a total of 30 different symptoms prior to diagnosis, the investigators report in the medical journal Thorax. The patients recalled having new symptoms for many months, regardless of the disease stage at the time of diagnosis.

The most common were chest symptoms, including cough, breathing changes, and chest or rib pain. More generalized symptoms, including fatigue, lethargy and weight loss, were also common.

{snip}

"If the public were made more aware of the possible symptoms of lung cancer and believed that presenting early with them might mean they would get more effective treatment, it might be possible to diagnose some patients at an earlier stage," Corner concluded.

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My father died of lung cancer and he did have symptoms for many many months before he went to the doctor. He had a stabbing back pain that was blamed on his matress, constant loss of breath, loss of endurance and energy, and symptoms like that of pneumonia that would not go away. He was only diagnosed after two courses of antibotics failed to get rid of what the doc thought was penumonia. Please please please take care of yourselves. I learned to be a democrat from my parents especially my Dad who's innate sense of decency could not stand the GoP. He was the kind of man his repub brothers held in contempt because he would not sink to their depth. He tried to be fair and expected the same of others. Sorry to go off on a tangent here but he was a wonderful man and I don't want to see anyone else suffer the way he did if it can be prevented.

I will remember this.

And I'm sorry about your dad. :hug:

Here we are a half century after the commencement of the lung cancer and general cancer epidemic began, with literally millions of victims in the developed world that analyzes everything from pond scum to the opinions of people about toothpicks, yet nobody has yet put this together.

Even now, according to Reuters, there is no solid plan to follow up on this with a more definitive study; just an expression of hope.

How easy would such a study be? There are tens of thousands of living lung cancer patients, nearly all of whom would happily share their pre-diagnostic second thoughts.

This article is another example of casual disregard of concerns for this issue. It does not even take the time to list all 30 suspected common symptoms, and gives no indication of when they might be published.

But thank you for posting it such as it is, anyhow, and making these important suspicions known to a wider audience.

My Dad, too, died of lung cancer, and also inspired my political intensity when I was young. He was a union man. (Interestingly, he spent his last days, just 2 years ago, in the same FL hospice where Terri Shiavo was then resident and recently passed away.)

my father had lung cancer surgery. they removed half of one of his lungs three years ago and he uses oxygen daily now. he just got over a bout of pneumonia two weeks ago too. he was a smoker who had quit about 10 years ago (he's 75).

i'm sorry to hear about your dad :hug:

There are so many studies and articles I wouldn't know where to begin but here is a link to Beta Carotene

http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Cancer/good3.htm

And I also swear by CoQ10. I read a book about it years ago and it made complete sense to me. I take it and I also give it to my older animals.

As an "older animal," this sounds like something I should know about.

Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring enzyme in the human body but as we age we lose it. It is one of those chain type enzymes where enzyme 1 is needed to make enzyme 2 etc etc and so the first to go is the last - TEN. (That is how I understood it from the book anyway). You can buy CoQ10 in drug stores now. I suggest only getting it in gel form. When it first came out I saw doses only at 25 mg. Now I see them up to 600 mg. The link is at the bottom and if you do a GOOGLE on it you will come up with TONS of sites with information and/or trying to sell you some.


Overview

This complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information summary provides an overview of the use of coenzyme Q10 in cancer therapy. The summary includes a history of coenzyme Q10 research, a review of laboratory studies, and data from investigations involving human subjects. Although several naturally occurring forms of coenzyme Q have been identified, Q10 is the predominant form found in humans and most mammals, and it is the form most studied for therapeutic potential. Thus, it will be the only form of coenzyme Q discussed in this summary.

This summary contains the following key information:

* Coenzyme Q10 is made naturally by the human body.


* Coenzyme Q10 helps cells to produce energy, and it acts as an antioxidant.


* Coenzyme Q10 has shown an ability to stimulate the immune system and to protect the heart from damage caused by certain chemotherapy drugs.


* Low blood levels of coenzyme Q10 have been detected in patients with some types of cancer.


* No report of a randomized clinical trial of coenzyme Q10 as a treatment for cancer has been published in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal.


* Coenzyme Q10 is marketed in the United States as a dietary supplement.

http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/coenzymeQ10/healthprofessional

My partner and I just quit smoking, I have been trying to take some supplements to get healthy again. I will deffinitely add this to my list!

My father, too, was a great Democrat, among a sea of Republicans. I recall an incident in 1960 at the height of local anti-Catholic hysteria when a member of his church asked whether Kennedy's nomination was all fulfillment of some Biblical prophecy about the Great Whore. My father said "Well if it is, you might as well join me and vote for Kennedy, it's going to happen, anyway." He never wavered. During his final illness he labored mightily to convince his nurses, who should have needed no persuading, to vote for "Al". Thanks for your post, we have rich memories.

They all knew something was wrong well before the doctor diagnosed it. Smoking was the norm when and where they grew up.

My mother is dying of lung cancer now (it's metastasized to the brain). I just left Florida a few days ago where we moved her from the ICU to hospice. The doctors told us there was zero chance she'd survive more than 2 days, but it's been more than a week. She's eating, talking -- they call her Carol the Miracle, and in fact now they're talking about sending her home as she's not sick enough for hospice.

On symptoms: She had them all, for many months. Back pain. "Bronchitis" (she'd say). Finally, she started coughing up blood, but even this did not lead her to a doctor. She did this for a couple of months. It was only the near collapse from fatigue that led her in. That was 6 months ago. They gave her "less than a year" back then.

If your SO smokes, stop them! I've watched an aunt and uncle die of lung cancer. My father had bladder and prostate cancer. I've had bladder cancer. Another uncle had kidney cancer but survived only to die of a heart attack. Not fun, folks. Watch what you eat, don't smoke, follow the golden rule, and overuse the doctor when you don't feel well.

You and your Mom truly are survivors in every respect.
:hug:

Thanks also for your post. My dad died of lung cancer almost 4 years ago and I often wonder if he had symptoms that I didn't recognize at the time-I can't remember any. My dad was very much like your dad-always kind and extremely considerate of his fellow man-the kind of guy everyone likes. I'm a little more feisty than he was and much more outspoken-lol-but I do take after him in my democratic views-he taught me well!

My DH smokes and we talked about lung cancer just last night as it was his birthday and we aren't getting any younger. I don't want to watch my DH suffer like my dad did, it was hell. So, DH is going to go to the doctor and get some sort of "quit smoking pill" or something like that, that he heard about from someone at work. It's supposed to make it easier to quit, though the other times DH tried to quit-with the patch-he was extremely irritable to be around-so I'm hoping this magic pill will work wonders!

the whole "grumpy smoker" thing is another way to not quit. the idea is to make life so miserable for the people around you that they ask you to smoke again. It's not intentional (sometimes it is) - we're junkies of sorts and pull all kinds of tricks to keep our habit.

Just a thought.

In Jan.. I hate to say it but I agree the patch made me crankier and might of helped with the initial pissed at the world crankiness, but long term only extended it.

I used the patch for about 3 weeks, before I started to put the two together. In the first 72 hrs you suffer through the worst of the nicotine with drawl, by using the patch your prolonging the addiction. It feeds you nicotine but in doses that uncontrolled.

So why initially it does help stave off lighting up, after the first week or so I feel to keep using it only dragged out the process.

What worked for me doesn't always work for someone else either. I bought coffee stirs or straws and cut them down to the size of cigs just to have something in my hands. Gum is always good too. Lots of deep breathing (took up yoga)to pass through the irritation. A walk, I even stopped driving for abit(tended to smoke in the vehicle), Car pooling(and you get to save on gas)instead. drink tea instead of coffee, though I kept drinking coffee. I would just change where I drank it. Instead of at my desk I'd sit in the sun room, or outside.

Have him take up a hobby. Painting, woodworking, mowing the lawn. Take the 4 bucks a day it cost him to feed the habit, and put it in draw or jar (something informal) where he can see it. Use it after a month to treat yourselves to something nice with the 672 bucks you saved after just 6 months.

Just be sure to he tells himself, your getting through the addiction hr by hr. Minute by minute, if you need to. I had days were minute by minute was what it took to get past the with drawl mentally.

I especially like the cigarette money in a jar....money is a good motivator for my hubby! :D

I know one person who quit using that and it worked for her. She said she never had a craving after taking it for several days. I hope it works for your husband as well as it did for her :)

I posted this on the thread about Peter Jennings.

When my mother was diagnosed in 2002, I found this site tremendously helpful in providing information about this disease.

If you need or want information about lung cancer check it out.

Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support and Education
<http://www.alcase.org/>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=326

It's new. Just a few days old. And we don't have a lot of posts yet, but any advice, encouragement, anecdotes, funny jokes, home remedies, etc., y'all can offer about how to kick that ridiculously expensive and destructive habit would be well appreciated.

And if you are quitting, you will find fellow travelers there.

End of plug.

Warning to heed lung cancer signs
A chest x-ray can aid diagnosis
People could be dying of lung cancer because they fail to spot and act on early warning signs, a study suggests
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4380321.stm

The typical symptoms, such as breathlessness, weight loss and persistent cough, are common with other, less sinister diseases which means they may go unchecked.

Professor Jessica Corner, of Macmillan Cancer Relief and professor of palliative care at the University of Southampton, said: "There is a clear need for different approaches to public health whereby people at risk are encouraged to be more conscious of their health and to the possibility that they may develop lung cancer.

{SNIP}

A spokesman from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation said: "Early diagnosis of lung cancer is vitally important. Survival rates are poor simply because people are diagnosed too late.

{SNIP}

"Get these symptoms checked out by a doctor, especially if you are a smoker."


Warning signs
* Breathlessness
* Lethargy
* Weight loss
* Persistent cough
* Blood-stained phlegm

thank you for the :hug::hug::hug: and :hug::hug::hug: right back at ya'll!

About beta carotene - do not take it if you still smoke. It is linked to increased rates of lung cancer among smokers. Wait until you quit to supplement.