Many experts and other people are unaware that women are more susceptible to lung cancer than men and the disease accounts for 25% of all female cancer deaths. In fact, it causes more deaths than breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. The typical lung cancer sufferer is pictured as a man older than 60. A female health expert claims that the cancer risk in female smokers remains for 20 years after they stop and even then it is only halved. Hormonal differences are blamed for the fact that non-smoking females are more prone to lung cancer than non-smoking men. Research spending on lung cancer is only a fraction of that spent on HIV, breast cancer and prostate cancer. This is probably because many may have the attitude that smokers deliberately put themselves at risk. Reliable early detection screening is uncommon and no cure is available although drugs such as Iressa and Tarceva are quite effective, especially in women. Women should be paying attention to symptoms of developing lung cancer such as shortness of breath, blood in sputum, changes in frequency or severity of coughing or other changes in cough.
Source: summary of medical news story as reported by USA Today
About: Women too are at risk of lung cancer
Date: 14 January 2005
Source: USA Today
Author: Janice Billingsley
URL:
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