Comments for Respiratory Rally

Comment on What is the survival rate of lung cancer? by iceman

iceman — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:45:59 +0000

18 and lung cancer? Wow, thats about as young as I have ever heard. Are you sure its not lymphoma of the lungs, which is very different in its pronosis

Check this out.. Seer cancer statistics doesnt even have records of people that age getting lung cancer.

http://www.seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2006/browse_csr.php?section=15&page=sect_15_table.09.html
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Comment on What is the survival rate of lung cancer? by Terp09

Terp09 — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:23:59 +0000

49 % of people diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer live for at least five years after diagnosis.

It’s difficult to determine the chances of eradicating it because overall survival rates don’t specify whether cancer survivors are still undergoing treatment at five years or if they’ve become cancer-free (achieved remission). Other types of survival rates that give more specific information include:

1) Disease-free survival rate.
2) Progression-free survival rate.

I wasn’t able to find much information with these two survival rates, but hopefully someone else can add to this answer. You might be able to find this data by searching for specific treatment regimens and their effectiveness. At the National Cancer Institute (NIH), they calculate these values for clinical trials.
References :
Research fellow in cancer immunotherapy lab
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/CA00049

Comment on How many times has an ex-vivo lung transplant successfully been operated? by PAstudent

PAstudent — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:16:59 +0000

a few
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Comment on What is the survival rate of lung cancer? by Travelingman

Travelingman — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:11:59 +0000

The best thing is to go to the source … the type of "lung cancer" as well as when it was diagnosed are major factors, and then one has to consider life style, nutrition, etc. There are two general types of lung cancer, "small cell" and "non-small cell".

"… In general, the lung cancer survival rate will depend on:

•The stage of lung cancer (see Lung Cancer Stages)
•The lung cancer type (see Types of Lung Cancer)
•Whether there are symptoms (such as coughing or trouble breathing)
•The patient’s general health
•Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred (come back)…"

In simple words … there is no one statistic for the "survival rate of lung cancer" that explains everything. Check with your oncologist and if need be get a second opinion (always a good idea under any circumstances) and read the literature on your particular form of cancer and what stage it is in … then a probable "survival rate" can be determined, as close as is possible given our current level of medical understanding.

Sorry it is impossible to be more specific given the information provided … Good Luck and I sincerely hope everything turns out well …
References :
http://lung-cancer.emedtv.com/lung-cancer/lung-cancer-survival-rate.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/CA00049
http://www.lungcancer.org/reading/types.php
Nurse

Comment on What happens to TLC (Total Lung Capacity) and VC (Vital Capacity) in patients with fibrosis? Severe emphysema? by Dave

Dave — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:41:59 +0000

You’re right as far as fibrosis is scar tissue and causes the lungs to become stiff.. But as they get stiffer, losing compliance, the VC decreases. Fibrosis can occur in the alveoli, connective tissue(which provides structure and support for the various segments and lobes), or in the interstitial spaces. This can be the result of injury, infection or what’s called idiopathic when they don’t know what caused it. Sometimes it’s an immunological disorder. Anyway, It causes the person to have to work harder to expand their lungs and reduces their ability to exhale it thereby reducing VC. TLC is decreased in fibrotic disorders. On a PFT the first sign of a compliance problem is a reduced VC.
Now, that is restrictive disease as opposed to an obstructive disorder such as emphysema. COPD, chronic bronchitis, asthma, bronchiectasis etc. are airway diseases. In other words the flow through the bronchi and bronchioles is limited by inflammation, mucous and/or bronchospasm. At the beginning this can be detected on the PFT by looking at the flowrates, especially on exhalation. The airways normally narrow on exhalation anyway but obstructive disorders exaggerate this narrowing eventually to the point of shutting down completely thereby trapping air in the alveolus. Over time this trapping causes the alveolar septums to stretch and become permanently hyperinflated. This is Emphysema. You can see how chronic bronchitis or chronic untreated asthma can lead to this.
Sorry to be so lengthy in my answer.
So anyway, this hyperinflation leads to a loss of connective tissue, which is what holds bronchioles open(they lack the cartilaginous rings found in bronchi. That’s the anatomical difference between bronchi and bronchioles). This leads to more air trapping and can eventually lead to Bullous Emphysema, which looks very much like blisters on the lungs. But they are whole segments of the once grape-like structure of the alveoli made confluent by the stretching.In emphysema you do see a reduced VC also but it’s from a different mechanism, airway obstruction as opposed to loss of compliance.
In regards to the TLC in emphysema it may remain normal or could decrease slightly. The more important measurement on the PFT is the RV/TLC ratio. When the Residual Volume increases due to the airtrapping This ratio increases. Normal is about 20-25%(don’t quote me on that) and anything >40% is indicative of Emphysema.
Hope this helps clear it up for you.
God bless.
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Comment on What happens to TLC (Total Lung Capacity) and VC (Vital Capacity) in patients with fibrosis? Severe emphysema? by Birdiebritches

Birdiebritches — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:15:59 +0000

I don’t think it really works that way. Good food for thought though
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Comment on My husband has a shadow on his lung following a chest infection? by Dr Frank

Dr Frank — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:00:59 +0000

I am afraid it is not possible to reassure you as your husbands tests are not yet complete. This best I can say is there are possibilities other than cancer.
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GP for more years than I care to remember

Comment on My husband has a shadow on his lung following a chest infection? by formerly_bob

formerly_bob — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:47:59 +0000

The majority of chest x-rays have at least a few shadows that are difficult to interpret and many times the shadows aren't a symptoms of a disease. Even coughing up red mucus is not an abnormal symptom. So, hopefully the next round of tests will rule out cancer. The doc will probably retake the image using a CT scan that will show whats in the shadows. Besides cancer, he could have pneumonia, TB, or some other lung abnormality that might not be a medical concern.
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Comment on My husband has a shadow on his lung following a chest infection? by shortbread

shortbread — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:08:59 +0000

The doctor is just preparing you to consider the worst. There’s no way to tell if he has cancer without the tests they need to run. Because someone has never smoked, it doesn’t mean they can’t get lung cancer. On the other hand, a shadow on the lung doesn’t mean he has cancer, it could well be nothing. All you can do is wait for the test results, or speak to a doctor for their opinion.

Good luck, I hope it all gos well.
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Comment on My husband has a shadow on his lung following a chest infection? by pink flower

pink flower — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 10:22:59 +0000

Bless you,

It may not be cancer, it could be TB, depending on the shadow, it’s placement etc. it could a clot or just damage from the infection.

Thinking of you both and sending best wishes for a good out come.
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