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A very important of lung cancer treatment clip, taken from Promise regional
Using NicoBloc to help you stop smoking by following the instructions that come with each pack to ensure you get the best out of the product.
Watch this complete instructional video on how to get the best from NicoBloc.
Paclitaxel is a monomer diterpenoid alkaloids compound extracted from taxaceae used in cancer chemotherapy to improve long-term survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as well as to treat patients with ovarian, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and advanced forms of Kaposi's sarcoma.
TAXOL (paclitaxel) Injection is a clear, colorless, slightly yellow viscous solution which began to be translated into substantial improvements in Lung cancer patients care. Paclitaxel molecules shows a T-shaped or butterfly structure, being held together in stacks by intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
Taxol is supplied as a as an injectable solution intended for dilution with a suitable parenteral fluid prior to intravenous infusion.
Paclitaxel is a natural product with antitumor activity available in 30 mg (5 mL), 100 mg (16.7 mL), and 300 mg (50 mL) multidose vials.
Each mL of sterile nonpyrogenic solution contains 6 mg paclitaxel, 527 mg of purified Cremophor® EL* and 49.7% (v/v) dehydrated alcohol, USP.
When Taxol was developed commercially by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) the generic name was changed to 'paclitaxel' and the BMS compound is sold under the trademark 'Taxol'. In this formulation paclitaxel is dissolved in Cremophor EL and ethanol, as a delivery agent.
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos - A group of minerals that take the form of tiny fibers. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body.
Its most common site is the pleura - the pleural cavity is the body cavity that surrounds the lungs , but it may also occur in other places.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways.Unlike lung cancer, Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma.
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain and swelling. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination.
The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with only brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases.
How to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma?
Thoracoscopy - (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples.
Peritoneoscopy - To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument called a peritoneoscope into the abdominal cavity.
Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to use current treatments.
Genentech Inc. reports that a Phase III study (ATLAS) of Tarceva® (erlotinib) in combination with Avastin® (bevacizumab) as maintenance therapy following initial treatment with Avastin plus chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) met its primary endpoint.
According to the announcement, the study was stopped early on the recommendation of an independent data safety monitoring board after a pre-planned interim analysis showed that combining Tarceva and Avastin significantly extended the time patients lived without their disease advancing, as defined by progression-free survival (PFS), compared to Avastin plus placebo.
Source - Tarceva.com
As a Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer patient, staging of Lung Cancer is a most important for your oncologist to measure how far the disease has spread, receive the right prognosis before you can receive treatment.
TNM staging system:
T - Size of tumor and how far it has spread within the lung and to nearby organs
N - Spread to lymph nodes
M - Metastasis
Find full Staging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and treatment http://www.health-alliance.com/Cancer/lung/staging.html
Stage 0
Abnormal cells (Cancer) is found only in the layer of cells lining the air passages and innermost lining of the lung. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue.
Possible treatment: N/A
Stage I
Cancer cells are limited to the lung. Tissue around the lung remains normal. Stage I is divided into IA and IB, depending on the tumor size or if a main bronchus is involved.
Possible treatment: Surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy*
Stage II
Cancer has spread to lymph nodes, chest wall, diaphragm, lining of the lungs, or the outer lining that surrounds the heart.
Stage III
Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the area of the chest between the heart and lungs. Blood vessels in this area may also be affected. Cancer may also have spread to the lower neck.
Stage IV
Cancer has spread to the other lung or to other areas in the body and cannot be removed with surgery.
Staging - from Emedicine:
IA - T1N0M0
IB - T2N0M0
IIA - T1N1M0
IIB - T2N1M0 or T3N0M0
IIIA - T1-3N2M0 or T3N1M0
IIIB - Any T4 or any N3M0
IV - Any M1
Where -
Primary tumor
Tis - Carcinoma in situ
TX - Positive malignant cytologic findings, no lesion observed
T1 - Diameter of 3 cm or smaller.
T2 -Diameter greater than 3 cm.
T3 - Tumor at the apex.
T4 - Invasion of the mediastinal organs.
Regional lymph node involvement
N0 - No lymph nodes involved
N1 - Ipsilateral bronchopulmonary or hilar nodes involved
N2 - Ipsilateral mediastinal nodes or ligament involved
N3 - contralateral mediastinal or hilar nodes involved
Metastatic involvement
M0 - No metastases
M1 - Metastases present
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