Causes and Treatment of Lung Cancer

Paper Summary:

This paper contends that lung cancer is not only one of the most dangerous diseases but also one of the most frustrating diseases because in many cases it could be prevented by not smoking. The paper attempts to understand this dreadful but preventable disease from a variety of perspectives, including its historical background, its causes, its symptoms, what can be done to prevent it and its treatment options.

Outline
Introduction
Historical Background
Causes
Symptoms
Prevention
Treatment Options
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Until the 1930s lung cancer was considered to be a rare disease. However with the increase in cigarette smoking that came in the following decades, lung cancer became a leading cause of death. It did not take long for medical experts to make the connection and realize that cigarette smoking caused lung cancer. According to Witschi (2001) "The link between the smoking of cigarettes and lung cancer began to be suspected by clinicians in the 1930s when they noted the increase of this 'unusual' disease. Publications began to appear and about 2 decades later the role of smoking as causative agent had been firmly established. A case control study was published in 1940 in Germany and its author flatly stated that 'the extraordinary rise in tobacco use was the single most important cause of the rising incidence of lung cancer'"(p. 5) . Most notably, since the famous 1964 Surgeon General's report that officially linked cigarette smoking with lung cancer, there has been widespread publicity about the medical risks associated with smoking."

Sample of Sources Used:

• CDC Center for Disease Control, Lung cancer statistics, 2007, Retrieved 28 June, 2008 from http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/statistics/
• Rhode Island Cancer Council, Lung cancer: The facts, Retrieved 29 June, 2008 from http://www.ricancercouncil.org/cancer-info/lung-cancer-facts.php
• Sherry, M.M. (1994) Confronting cancer: How to care for today and tomorrow, Insight Books
• Welch, G.H. (2004) Should I be tested for cancer? Maybe not and here's why, Berkeley: University of California Press
• Witschi, H. (2001) A short history of lung cancer, Toxicological Sciences, 64, 4-6, Retrieved 29 June, 2008 from http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/64/1/4

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