How to Understand Symptoms and Treatment of Lung Cancer

Dr. Mark Kris tells us that 60% of newly-diagnosed lung cancer patients were once smokers, but had quit some time ago.  Angie Lee-Ow was even more of a shock – she never smoked and she was diagnosed with inoperable Stage IV lung cancer.  All she had was back pain and a little fatigue.  Imagine her surprise to find out that she had this scary disease.

Dr. David Gandara then talks about the challenges the medical industry faces when fighting lung cancer.  Early symptoms are pretty rare – by the time someone develops symptoms the cancer can be pretty far along.  Because of this, they are always looking for better ways to fight it.  Another reason is because the survival rate is so low.  By the time someone has symptoms, they are likely advanced, and the 5-year survival rate for a Stage IV lung cancer patient is less than 16%.

That sounds very grim, but doctors are becoming increasingly optimistic because of an increased success of the treatment of lung cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.  The American Lung Association states in the video that a lung cancer diagnosis is not always a death sentence, and they are leading the charge in finding new and better ways to fight the disease.

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