The Lung Cancer Blog

Smoking Increases Risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia

2007-09-04T21:04:04Z

A new Dutch study of over 7,000 people has found that current smokers are 50 percent more likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease than non-smokers or former smokers.

"Smoking increases the risk of cerebrovascular disease, which is also tied to dementia," study author Dr. Monique Breteler, of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said in a prepared statement. "Another mechanism could be through oxidative stress, which can damage cells in the blood vessels and lead to hardening of the arteries. Smokers experience greater oxidative stress than nonsmokers, and increased oxidative stress is also seen in Alzheimer's disease."

The results of the study were published in the Sept. 4 issue of Neurology.

Smokers More Likely to Develop Dementia

20 Percent of Women with Lung Cancer Never Smoked

2007-02-10T00:39:39Z

A new study has found that 20 percent of women with lung cancer never smoked, suggesting that secondhand smoke may be even more dangerous than previously thought. Non-smoking women appear to be more susceptible than their male counterparts.

Chang said that because more men smoke than women, women may be more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke, even when they are classified as never-smokers

Many lung cancer cases in nonsmokers, study finds

Man Diagnosed with Lung Cancer Wins Lottery

2007-02-06T09:42:05Z

Wayne Schenk was diagnosed with lung cancer in December and given one year to live has won a million dollars in the New York state lottery. The only problem is that the winnings are to be paid out over 20 years and he doesn't have time to wait.

He thought the lucky scratch off ticket would buy him good care and more time. But, New York State Lottery rules prevent Wayne's winnings from doing just that. "He said, ‘I've got one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel and now New York state is going to screw with me and I'm not going to get all my money,'" [his friend] Domonick recalled.

The New York State Lotto says:

“We are, and have been, ready to work with a bank or financial institution and expedite the necessary legal paperwork to allow Mr. Schenk to receive an appropriate portion of his remaining 19 annual payments. Every month, the lottery makes some of its scheduled payments to companies and financial institutions that have stepped up and helped lottery winners in their time of need.”

Schenk is receiving treatment at a VA hospital but would like to get treatment at a cancer center and says the money would help him do that.

It's tragic and a sad state of affairs that the only way many people can afford cancer treatment is to win the lottery. Let's hope he is able to access the money so that he can get the care he needs.

Bittersweet Win for Lottery Winner

Lung Removal for Incidentalomas Often Unnecessary

2007-02-05T02:13:22Z

Researchers at UC San Francisco say lung cancers that are found incidentally during routine x-rays for other reasons, called "incidentalomas," do not usually require lung removal because they are often smaller than lung tumors found when lung cancer was already suspected.

"Not surprisingly," the investigators write, "patients with incidentally detected lung cancer had smaller cancers and earlier-stage disease." In fact, half of all patients with early disease had lung cancer detected by chance.

Lung removal often unneeded for "incidentalomas"

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The Lung Cancer Blog

2007-01-21T02:08:52Z

Welcome to The Lung Cancer Blog, a community blog open to which anyone with an interest in lung cancer can contribute. Post personal stories, links to interesting lung cancer websites and blogs, news stories, commentary, or just your thoughts for the day. Post as often as you like. No registration required! Visit the submit page to submit content.