Lung cancer is the the number one disease caused by smoking. This is a recent development as heart disease used to be the number one disease caused by smoking. This development has brought to the forefront the need to find better treatments and cures for lung disease. On the lung cancer eMedicine site it explains in great detail the different types such as small cell and non-small cell lung disease, with non-small lung disease being the most common type of disease to date. Treatments for the different types of non-small cell lung disease are similar to each other if they are in the same stages.

Lung cancer eMedicine information shows that lung cancer is the fastest growing smoking related disease in the world. Men and women alike are faring badly in terms of who it affects the most, and in both cases it is the number two cancer killer to date. For men it is only second to prostate cancer and in women it is second only to breast cancer. In the United States men suffer the most from this disease, but in the rest of the world it is becoming more common in women.

It is unusual for it to advance without symptoms. According to eMedicine, common symptoms of this disease are wheezing, coughing up blood, fatigue, pneumonia (often recurring), bone pain, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, anorexia, and much more. Any person who smokes should not discount any of these symptoms and should seek medical attention should any of these symptoms occur.

Once a person is diagnosed their prognosis is generally not good. In fact, lung cancer eMedicine claims that about 14% of people diagnosed have a chance of survival over five years. This is the lowest rate of expected survival for any type of cancer. However, new treatments are being tested and some types of lung cancer has responded better than others for these new, targeted treatments. Also, eating well, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will also assist in prolonging the live of someone with lung cancer and they should not hesitate to quit smoking, exercise and eat better to increase their quality of life and better their chances of survival.



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