LCB

This student spells out her views on smoking in the an open letter published in the IOWA State Daily.

'Everyone refers to how it's our choice to do whatever we feel like on current issues. But I feel like my choice is being stripped from me when it comes to the smoking issue on campus. The Thursday before break, Nov. 15, was the Great American Smoke Out; I felt so disregarded as I saw a student kick down one of the signs we, the ISU chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, put up around campus with lung-cancer facts. By the time I reached the sign to reposition it, the student was gone, cigarette butt next to it.'

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The use of positron emission tomography, known as PET scans, can improve the diagnosis of people with lung cancer and better guide treatment decisions, Canadian researchers said on Tuesday. Doctors often use imaging techniques like magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, or computed tomography imaging, called CT scans, along with other methods to see if a patient has lung cancer.

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Nicotine is the psychoactive drug in tobacco products that produces dependence. Most smokers are dependent on nicotine, and smokeless tobacco use can also lead to nicotine dependence. Nicotine dependence is the most common form of chemical dependence in the United States. Research suggests that nicotine is as addictive as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol. Examples of nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and increased appetite. Quitting tobacco use is difficult and may require multiple attempts, as users often relapse because of withdrawal symptoms. Tobacco dependence is a chronic condition that often requires repeated intervention.

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HealthDay News states that researchers have identified the chemical pathway by which a mother's smoking before and after pregnancy might reduce her daughter's fertility by as much as two-thirds. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy has been shown in retrospective studies to affect the fertility of a woman's offspring, but this is the first study to offer an explanation of the biology behind the effect, the Canadian scientists claim.

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Anyone interested in watching lung cancer surgery can tune in on their computer this week and see it for themselves. Surgeons at Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk will perform a lobectomy - removal of part of the lung - on a lung cancer patient Thursday afternoon. The surgery is done through a small incision under the arm and is expected to last two to three hours. The webcast is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday. An archived edition will be available later.

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But it lacks the high-profile publicity campaign. A few weeks ago, during the height of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it was hard to go anywhere without seeing a sea of pink. Pink Campbell's Soup cans at the grocery store. Pink mixers, potholders and spatulas at cookware shops. Pink ribbons on, well, just about everything. That was October. Now it's November, and it's Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer doesn't get the attention of breast cancer, but it's an even bigger killer of women.

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Trials test new methods to detect lung cancer

Several trials -- including the National Lung Screening Trial -- are under way to try to find a way to detect the deadliest, and most preventable, type of cancer at an earlier stage.
This latest study looks at an X-ray method called spiral CT scanning, which has shown promise in detecting early lung cancer in smokers and former smokers. That research is especially timely in November, for it has been designated the Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

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