Why is lung cancer always diagnosed so late?

happyfeet · Regular Joined: 11 Dec 2007 Posts: 12 Location: London UK

This is my first experience of any loved one having cancer and I am shocked as I learn more, how lung cancer is often only diagnosed when it's too late to treat.

I suppose I would love to know how to prevent this from happening to anyone else that's close to me. Would it be worth getting a scan while healthy 'just in case'?

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1133

There currently are no early screening methods that the powers-that-be can agree on. CT scans will show nodules, but it is very controversial because many nodules are not cancer and produce a false-positive. Biopsy's of lungs is not like a breast biopsy. Screening is a very hot topic in the lung cancer community.

Lung cancer can grow and grow and is usually at an advanced stage by the time symptoms appear. It is one of the "silent" cancers. You can't do a blood test or a breast check to find it.

This is why lung cancer is the largest cancer killer in the world. It kills 2x as many women per year than breast cancer, because breast cancer can be caught early.

Lung cancer, on a cellular level, is also harder to treat than many of the other cancers.

Sadly, it's a no-win situation as it currently stands. I do try and have chest x-rays done, but without a reason, most insurance companies will not pay for CT scans. I'd wager to say the same holds true for countries with socialized medicine. You'd have to pay out of pocket and CT's can be expensive.

PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

happyfeet · Regular Joined: 11 Dec 2007 Posts: 12 Location: London UK

Thank you, you don't know how helpful that is! It's just that my brother had a collapsed lung a year ago and had plenty of xrays although only one scan. When he was diagnosed his tumour was 6 centimetres and I was wondering how it had slipped through without diagnosis. They were concerned a year previously but decided that the nodes that they saw weren't cancerous.

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1133

The x-rays were probably done to determine if the lung had re-inflated. X-rays will show masses and CT scans certainly do. The only way for the determination of the malignancy of enlarged nodes is through a biopsy. A needle biopsy could have been easily done on nodes outside of the lung. Once you start monkeying with the lung, it becomes a far more major procedure. Didn't they wonder why his lung had collapsed?

Again, I'm sorry. God bless you for being such a good sibling.

PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

brainman

Happyfeet, as pbj said, there are no early methods to screen for lung cancer. However, some lung cancers are caught early quite by accedent... usually when a chest x-ray is taken for some other reason... like to check for an enlarged heart.
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Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
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Nora151 · New User Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 3

Another reason is that for example people who are exposed to asbestos will live for 20 - 30 years until they see the consequences as you can read here http://people.umass.edu/ifranzen/asbestos.html

I wish there would be some methods to find it out at an earlier stage but apparently there are none.

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1133

In addition, many family members of people who work with asbestos find that they are compromised due to exposure from the clothing that the main worker brings home. Asbestos is serious business and causes the third type of lung cancer, Mesothelioma.
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

helensgirl

pbj11,
are you in the medical field? you seem to be very knowledgeable about cancer in general...my mom's LC had not spread beyond her right lung and lymph nodes when she passed away...it had not even grown at all from the time of initial diagnosis just 6 months before her death. after she went through carbo/taxol, then gemzar, she was so weak that she just couldn't make it...i think the chemo was responsible for her death. i feel like she would have lived longer had we not even done the chemo at 80 years old, and just done palliative care...what's your opinion? Thanks, Kim
_________________
...keeping the faith in n.c.
Helen, my wonderful mom, diagnosed May, 07
fought-stage 4 NSCLC, (adenocarcinoma)
earned her place in Heaven, Dec. 14th, 07

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1133

Helensgirl,

Well, I'm embarrassed now. Embarassed

No, I am not in the medical field, but often have been asked that by medical people because I've done so much research on my husband's cancer. Also have had experience in my family with other types of cancer and I'm like a sponge when it comes to research. When you have a lot of time on your hands, while you are fighting to save your husband's life, that's what happens.

Each person's body is a unique chemical factory and there is no telling how chemo or cancer may affect that individual. I've seen big-burley men brought to their knees by chemo and little dainty women fly through it with no problems. There is no rhyme or reason to how one person with limited cancer passes away quickly, where another one who is loaded lives for a long period of time. No constants in the world of cancer is about all I can tell you.

Age does seem to make somewhat of a difference. There is a finite ability for bone marrow to regenerate red, white, and platelets. Who knows if this led to your Mom's weakened condition. Also, heart issues come into play with many lung cancer patients.

I have no concrete answers and am not a doctor. If you want to ask someone who is a specialist in this field, I'd suggest going to Dr. West's website, Onctalk.com. He has a Q & A section and may be able to give you some answers.

I'm sorry for your continued questions -- I do understand because I do it myself. Grief is pretty good at keeping the pot stirred up.

Hugs,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

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