The Association Between Lung Cancer and Sarcoidosis: A Literature Review

Lung Cancer Goes Undetected In The Early Stages

Lung cancer symptoms usually go undetected during the early stages, according to experts. Weight loss, breathlessness and coughing are some the initial symptoms of the condition, according to the Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine's Professor Dieter Koehler. The other symptoms are the clubbed finger, swollen fingertips, and chest pain.

An X-ray, an endoscopic examination of the lungs or an analysis of the mucus the patient coughs up are ways of determining whether the patient has lung cancer, said Michael Barczok of the German Federal Association of Pneumologists in Heideheim. People at greatest risk of lung cancer are current and former smokers, as well as people whose relatives have already developed lung cancer or chronic obstructive lung diseases, experts say. The risk of getting a bronchial cancer is two to three times greater among people who have a biological relative who had lung cancer, Koehler said.

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The disease usually begins at a younger age among people with a genetic disposition, according to Koehler, like for instance at the age of 50 rather than 70 years. The earlier the disease is detected, the better the survival rate. Only 15% of the people aged 70 or older who are diagnosed with the disease are still alive five years later. Lung cancer is the cause of death of more than 40,000 people annually in Germany, making it one of the most common malignancies.

Edited (IANS)

Research Finds Blood Test May Help Detect Lung Cancer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The third most common type of cancer in the U.S. Is lung cancer, according to the CDC.

Researchers are currently studying blood tests that could help with early detection.

"I've been fortunate to be a part of a couple of research studies looking at developing a blood test to help identify lung cancer before people get symptoms from it, so at an early stage when it's easier to treat and more likely to be cured," pulmonologist for Cleveland Clinic Dr. Peter Mazzone said.

Mazzone said both people with and without lung cancer, but who were also eligible for lung cancer screenings, were looked at for the studies. The studies found two different types of blood tests that could be used and were able to identify a majority of lung cancer cases.

Most current lung cancer screening involves getting a CT scan which many people don't get when they should or fail to come back for annual scans, according to Mazzone. He believes a blood test could help solve that problem.

"Another application of a test like this could be to identify folks who aren't currently screen eligible," Mazzone said. "They're not in the right age range, the right amount of smoking, but still may be at enough of a risk for developing lung cancer that screening could help them."

More research needs to be done, but Mazzone encourages those who qualify to get screened for lung cancer.

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'Big Bang Theory' Star Kate Micucci Reveals Lung Cancer Diagnosis Despite Never Smoking—How Can That Happen?

Actress Kate Micucci, 43, has lung cancer, according to a recent TikTok video she shared with her followers.

Micucci said the diagnosis was a "surprise" because she's "never smoked a cigarette in [her] life."

Though the majority of lung cancers occur in people who smoke or who have smoked, approximately 20% of lung cancers occur in nonsmokers.

Kate Micucci, known for her work on "The Big Bang Theory," was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, according to a TikTok video shared December 8 with her followers.

"Hey everybody, this is not a TikTok, it's a 'sick tok,'" Micucci, 43, told viewers. "I'm in the hospital but it's because I had lung cancer surgery yesterday."

Micucci said her care team found the cancer early—but that it was still an unexpected discovery. "It's pretty weird because I've never smoked a cigarette in my life," she said, "so it was a surprise, but also I guess it happens."

In a follow-up video shared a week later, Micucci revealed she is now cancer-free. "All of the reports came back that it worked," she told viewers, thanking them for their support. "I don't need to do any other treatment."

Though smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer—about 80% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking—a growing number of diagnoses are in people who haven't smoked.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 20% of lung cancers diagnosed in the U.S. Each year are in people who have never smoked, or who have smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetimes.

"This is a very disturbing problem," Lary Robinson, MD, a lung cancer specialist and thoracic surgeon at Moffitt Cancer Center, told Health. "Twenty years ago, a case of lung cancer in a never-smoker would have been a reportable case—we never saw it. But I'll see at least one case a week now."

Women may also be bearing the brunt of these lung cancer diagnoses: Research published earlier this year showed that lung cancer incidence rates are higher in younger and middle-aged women compared to men of the same age—and experts don't yet know why.

Here's what to know about lung cancer in nonsmokers, including how it differs from cancer caused by smoking.

Smoking cigarettes, pipes, or cigars are the main risk factors for lung cancer, but they aren't the only ones: Other risk factors include secondhand smoke, radon, air pollution, asbestos, and having a family history of lung cancer. Of those additional risk factors, researchers estimate that secondhand smoke contributes to about 7,300 lung cancer diagnoses each year, while radon contributes to about 2,900 cases. But the reasons for the increase in lung cancer cases among nonsmokers have yet to be pinpointed. Radon, for example, has been a known risk factor for years. "People aren't getting exposed to more radon than they were 50 years ago," said Robinson. "I think the cause is going to turn out to be something environmental." But there's much more research to be done—particularly regarding lung cancer incidence rates in women who have never smoked. "We're currently looking at causes from estrogen metabolites, chronic inflammation, processed foods, and chemicals," Jack Jacoub, MD, a board-certified medical oncologist and medical director of MemorialCare Cancer Institute at Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers in Orange County, California, told Health. "But we're not sure about all of these things and how they come together to increase lung cancer risk." Lung cancer in nonsmokers is typically different than lung cancer in people who smoke—for nonsmokers, lung cancer tends to develop when a person is younger, and the cancer itself may have certain gene changes that are different from smokers' tumors. Nonsmokers are usually diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancers, namely adenocarcinoma, which accounts for 50%–60% of those lung cancers. This type of cancer starts in the lungs' mucus-producing cells. Adenocarcinoma is often found on the outer parts of the lung, which makes it easier to diagnose before it has spread. Another 10%–20% of lung cancers in people who have never smoked are squamous cell carcinomas—cancers that form in the cells that line the inside of the lungs' airways. Though the types of cancers smokers and nonsmokers tend to get may be different, the symptoms are generally the same and include: Feeling generally unwell Unexplained fatigue Unexplained weight loss Frequent coughing Hoarseness Coughing up blood Chest pain Wheezing Shortness of breath The prognosis for a nonsmoker diagnosed with lung cancer depends, like most cancers, on whether it was found early or in later stages. Because it's not recommended for nonsmokers to undergo lung cancer screenings, it's possible that cancer in some nonsmokers will be diagnosed at later stages, leading to an unfavorable outcome. However, if lung cancer is detected early in a nonsmoker, they have a better chance of survival. "[Lung cancer in nonsmokers] tends to occur in healthier, younger people," said Jacoub. "They don't have a lot of the smoking-associated chronic illnesses like heart disease and lung disease." Nonsmokers with lung cancer may also benefit from the mutations that may have led to their cancers. "The saving factor for many never-smoking patients with lung cancer is that they tend to have mutations that we have drugs for," said Robinson. "We have a lot of targeted agents to help." More research is needed to determine what's causing lung cancer in people without a history of smoking. Researchers believe staying away from secondhand smoke, air pollution, radon, and other cancer-causing agents (asbestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust) can help reduce nonsmokers' risk of lung cancer. More general cancer prevention methods may help, too, though they're not guaranteed. "I could stand on my soapbox and say the best thing to do to lower your risk of lung cancer if you don't smoke is to maintain a normal weight, eat a healthy diet, and exercise," said Robinson. "If you did that, you would lower your risk of a lot of different cancers and diseases, but that's not a guarantee." Some risk factors, however—like a personal or family history of the disease—cannot be changed. It's for this reason that experts recommend everyone know or become aware of their family history, which can also be a preventative measure.

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