http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/lung_cancer.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/l-mob063008.php http://tobacco.org/news/268171.html While the link between lung cancer and second-hand smoke (SHS) has been established for many years, the extent of the risk remains a subject of much debate. Screening for biological markers specific to SHS and related to lung cancer could be a more reliable approach to establishing this risk level. The issues are discussed in a Review in the July edition of The Lancet Oncology, authored by Dr Ahmad Besaratinia and Dr Gerd Pfeifer, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA. The edition is dedicated to lung cancer and will be presented at the International Lung Cancer Conference, Liverpool, UK, from 9-12 July. EurekAlert ania@coh.org Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=617095 http://tobacco.org/news/268098.html Smokeless tobacco products (STPs), which include products such as snuff and chew tobacco, do increase the user's risk of cancer -- just not as much as smoking does. So say researchers who examined worldwide patterns of STP use and the associated risk of cancer. Reporting in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology, a team led by Dr. Paolo Boffeta, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in France, noted that STPs contain more than 30 carcinogens, including nitrosamines and metals. Their analysis of studies from around the world found that STP users had an overall 80 percent increased risk of oral cancer and a 60 percent increased risk of esophageal cancer. They also had a similar increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer. European studies suggest no increased risk of lung cancer among STP users, but American studies suggest an 80 percent increased risk of lung cancer, the team said. HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=617097 http://tobacco.org/news/268096.html A new technique for finding and analyzing stray cancer cells in the blood of lung cancer patients may make it possible for doctors to one day not only determine the genetic "signature" of particular tumors but to monitor changes in those cells and adjust treatments accordingly. "I think this is key to personalized medicine," said Dr. Daniel Haber, senior author of a paper detailing the technology, to be published in the July 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine but released early online Wednesday. "As we get to targeted therapies in increasing numbers, and increasing understanding about the genetics that guide targeted therapies, we need a way to know what we're treating." HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com (Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter ) Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKCOL26764520080702 http://tobacco.org/news/268032.html Biological indicators, or "biomarkers" of exposure to secondhand smoke that can be analyzed in blood, tissue or other samples, or through imaging scans are needed to examine whether exposure to secondhand smoke may cause lung cancer. That's the conclusion of the writers of a report in a special issue of The Lancet Oncology medical journal, which is dedicated to lung cancer. Although numerous reports have linked exposure to secondhand smoke to lung cancer, the extent of the risk remains debatable, Dr. Ahmad Besaratina and Dr. Gerd P. Pfeifer, from the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, note in their report. Reuters Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/latestnews/Smoking39s-hidden-death-toll-revealed.4210640.jp http://tobacco.org/news/267402.html SMOKING causes hundreds of thousands more deaths each year than previously thought, dramatic scientific research has revealed. A study, led by experts in Glasgow, showed heightened chances of dying from cancers of the colon, rectum and prostate, as well as from lymphatic leukaemia. These illnesses cause 930,000 deaths worldwide each year, in addition to more than five million smoking-related deaths estimated by the World Health Organisation as being caused by diseases such as lung cancer, which have long been linked to smoking. Scotland's health minister and anti-smoking campaigners have welcomed the study as further proof of the need to clamp down on the habit. . . . The new study, which has been published in the journal Annals of Oncology, was carried out by a team led by experts at Glasgow University and was based on data from 17,363 male civil servants based in London. Information about their health and habits has been collated since the 1960s The Scotsman UK-Scotland Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4160334.ece http://tobacco.org/news/267164.html People living in the North of England have a 20 per cent higher chance of dying from cancer than those living elsewhere, according to new evidence underlining stark divides in the nation's health. Deaths due to various forms of cancer are significantly higher in the North, a major report concludes today, with higher rates of smoking, unhealthy lifestyles and poverty likely to be at the root of the problem. There were, on average, 380 cases of cancer -- and 182.3 deaths -- for every 100,000 people in England, the latest figures show. But the mortality rate was much higher in the North, rising to 215.9 deaths per 100,000 in Merseyside and parts of Cheshire, while a large swath of the country, from Manchester to the Scottish border, also reported above-average death rates. . . . Experts believe this North-South divide is due to a number of factors, especially higher smoking rates in the North, which are linked to increased risks of smoking-related cancers. For example, 68 per 100,000 men in the North of England died from lung cancer in 2005, compared with the England average of 51. The Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire area had the lowest rate of deaths from lung cancer, with about 36 men in every 100,000 dying from the disease. Times Of London UK Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111730.php http://tobacco.org/news/267116.html It might surprise you to know that lung cancer claims more lives than breast, colon, and prostate cancers combined. Part of the problem is that lung cancer is often diagnosed late, so there aren't as many treatment options for patients. Now, that may be changing. Doctors are now using powerful radiation beams to zap lung tumors and give patients new hope. . . . Arthur went to Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, where doctors are using powerful radiation to zap tumors that can't be taken out in surgery, especially in cases like his where surgery would be too risky. "For these patients it's really important to limit the amount of radiation to the non-cancerous lung," says Chumy Nwogu, MD at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. This is where the high-precision radiation therapy comes in. Doctors can do two months worth of radiation treatments in a matter of hours. But there's a catch. The radiation is so intense and powerful that doctors can only blast the tumor itself. The tumor moves up and down every time the patient takes a breath. However, by using precise image guidance and controlled breathing, doctors can accurately track and attack the tumor. Medical News TODAY Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7456722.stm http://tobacco.org/news/267107.html Death rates from cancer are higher among people living in the north than in the rest of England, research shows. The National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) looked at data from 2005, and found death rates in the north were around 20% higher. Cancer deaths were lowest in the south and midlands. Experts believe higher smoking rates in the north could be the major factor - but not the only one - behind the stark north-south divide. BBC Online UK Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=dbc3c610-9e0e-484d-af0f-7b24c483ccc9 http://tobacco.org/news/266921.html Women who smoke are no more likely than men to get lung cancer but, among non-smokers, women appear to have a higher risk than men, U.S. researchers reported on Friday. Women who had never smoked were 1.3 times more likely to develop lung cancer than men who had never smoked, Dr. Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute and colleagues found. Reuters hayden@aviarts.com Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7453179.stm http://tobacco.org/news/266920.html Women who smoke are no more likely to develop lung cancer than men, US researchers have concluded. There had been conflicting evidence on women's risk, but the National Cancer Institute study of over 450,000 people found no gender difference. The study published in Lancet Oncology found a difference of only 0.9% between the risk for men and that for women. The most recent UK statistics show that in 2006, 23% of men and 21% of women were cigarette smokers. BBC Online Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=616538 http://tobacco.org/news/266919.html Women who smoke are just as likely to get lung cancer as men who smoke, a large U.S. study found. But, women who never smoked appear to be at greater risk of lung cancer than men who never smoked, according to the report from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). "It has been known for a long time that smoking is strongly associated as a cause of lung cancer," said lead researcher Neal Freedman, a cancer prevention fellow at NCI. "But there has been quite a bit of debate about whether the association is similar in men and women." In the study, the largest of its type, the incidence of lung cancer in men and women who smoked comparable amounts of cigarettes was quite similar, Freedman said. "Before this, there was some evidence that women were more susceptible to carcinogens in cigarette smoking than men," he said. HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com (Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter) Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/336/7657/1383?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=smoking&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=date&resourcetype=HWCIT http://tobacco.org/news/266913.html Norman Montague Bleehen was the first Cancer Research Campaign professor of clinical oncology in the University of Cambridge. His department was particularly involved with studies on the treatment of lung cancer and brain tumours. His reputation as a clinician, researcher, and educator was recognised both nationally and internationally. The excellence of his department laid the foundations for the major investment in Cambridge for research on cancer and the establishment of the new cancer institute. . . . Politically he represented the UK government in the Europe Against Cancer Programme and was particularly passionate about smoking prevention campaigns. He was a lifelong non-smoker and did not tolerate smoking by others, so he regarded it as ironic that he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. British Medical Journal UK Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110824.php http://tobacco.org/news/266853.html Screening for lung cancer with computed tomography (CT) may help reduce lung cancer deaths in current and former smokers, but it won't protect them from other causes of death associated with smoking, according to a new study published in the July issue of the journal Radiology. "Our study suggests that screening may be one way to reduce risk of death from lung cancer," said the study's lead author, Pamela McMahon, Ph.D., senior scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and instructor in radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "However, the number-one goal should still be to quit smoking, because it will reduce risk of death from many causes, including lung cancer." Medical News TODAY Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1032713520080610?sp=true http://tobacco.org/news/266849.html A high-tech X-ray called a spiral CT scan may help reduce lung cancer deaths in smokers and former smokers, but only reduces their overall risk of premature death by 4 percent, researchers reported on Tuesday. Heart disease, respiratory disease and other types of cancer are still highly likely to kill smokers and former smokers early, the team at Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found. Their study, published in the journal Radiology, will likely add to a debate on the value of screening smokers for lung cancer. "Our study suggests that screening may be one way to reduce risk of death from lung cancer," Dr. Pamela McMahon of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard said in a statement. "However, the number-one goal should still be to quit smoking, because it will reduce risk of death from many causes, including lung cancer." Reuters Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=616367 http://tobacco.org/news/266700.html Costs for treating Medicare patients with cancer increased substantially from 1991 to 2002, researchers report. The upward trend, seen with breast, lung and colorectal cancer in particular, reflects the fact that more patients are receiving radiation and chemotherapy, and those treatments are costing more. This may also influence what treatments doctors decide to use, one expert says. "The U.S. population is getting older, and it's growing, so there will be more people with cancer, so the burden to the Medicare program is likely to increase," said study co-author Robin Yabroff, an epidemiologist at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com (Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter) Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT