Squamous cell carcinoma of the lungs: 5 things to know
Lung Cancer News
Aug. 14, 2023 — Patients with localized prostate cancer have a good chance of survival, but mortality rates among those with advanced, metastatic forms of the condition remain high. Until now, the precise mechanism ...
Aug. 9, 2023 — New findings may lead to relapse-free treatment for a sizeable subgroup of lung cancer patients. In a study in mice, scientists have identified a biomarker that may help physicians select lung cancer ...
July 12, 2023 — Cancer therapies that target specific genetic abnormalities in tumors have revolutionized treatment possibilities over the past two decades. While quality of life and survival are improved with ...
July 12, 2023 — Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death among American men, and it's resistant to one of the most powerful chemotherapy medications -- cisplatin. Now, researchers have developed the first ...
June 22, 2023 — Small-cell lung cancer is a particularly aggressive type of tumor with a consistently high mortality rate. In recent years, the research of scientists has significantly contributed to a better ...
Mar. 28, 2023 — Researchers develop a 3D cell culture system to test how inhibiting fibroblast activities can help treat lung cancer. To simulate the tumor microenvironment and mimic real tissues, the team ...
Mar. 17, 2023 — A new study has revealed FDA-approved trametinib and entinostat (which is currently in clinical trials) can be given in tandem to produce fewer and smaller tumors in mice with LKB1-mutated non-small ...
Mar. 15, 2023 — A new study represents a first step towards generating highly detailed 3-dimensional maps of lung tumors using genetically engineered mouse ...
Mar. 13, 2023 — Scientists have discovered why breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs may 'wake up' following years of sleep -- forming incurable secondary tumors. Their research reveals the ...
Feb. 13, 2023 — Researchers show how stimulating dendritic cells through certain pathways produces strong T cell activity against tumors and works in conjunction with immune checkpoint inhibitors to produce even ...
Feb. 1, 2023 — New data from a clinical trial shows improved rates of survival and reduced risk of recurrence in patients taking osimertinib, a targeted therapy for non-small cell lung cancer ...
Jan. 9, 2023 — A new study found that deleting a gene called KMT2D caused normal (basal) lung cells grown in complex cultures called organoids to transform into lung squamous carcinoma (LUSC) ...
Jan. 4, 2023 — A research team has shown that Sarunashi juice and its constituting component isoquercetin help prevent and reduce lung cancer in laboratory ...
Dec. 26, 2022 — Researchers report that they have developed a new experimental pipeline to combine bacterial therapy with current cancer drugs. Their study, which explores resistance to bacterial therapy at the ...
Dec. 1, 2022 — About 80% of people with cancer suffer from significant muscle wasting, or loss of muscle tissue, and 30% of these patients die from this condition. New research in mice finds that the severity of ...
Nov. 29, 2022 — While it may seem common knowledge that smoking is bad for your lungs, if and how ultrafine particles present in cigarette smoke impact the development and progression of lung cancer remains unclear. ...
Nov. 15, 2022 — Airway inflammation and emphysema are more common in marijuana smokers than cigarette smokers, according to a new study. Researchers said the difference may be due to the way that marijuana is smoked ...
Nov. 8, 2022 — Scientists investigating the mechanics of the early stages of lung cancer have identified a new potential treatment, which could also aid early detection of the disease. Levels of a key protein -- ...
Oct. 25, 2022 — A new study has revealed significant racial disparities in how quickly minorities with the most common form of lung cancer receive potentially lifesaving radiation therapy compared with their white ...
Oct. 6, 2022 — This year, about 200,000 people will be diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer, the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. Researchers are working to improve the odds for ...
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Risk Of Lung Cancer Significantly Decreases After Smoking Is Stopped
Quitting smoking at any age appears to significantly reduce a person's risk of lung and other cancers.
That's the conclusion of research published today in the journal JAMA Network Open.
For their study, researchers looked at a cohort of nearly 3 million people over the age of 30 with an average follow-up of 13 years.
In their findings, researchers reported that those who stopped smoking entirely had a 17% lower overall risk of cancer than those who continued to smoke. That included a 42% lower risk of lung cancer incidence, a 27% lower risk of liver cancer, a 14% lower risk of stomach cancer, and a 20% lower risk of colorectal cancer.
Of all cancers, lung cancer risks declined the most quickly following smoking cessation, falling three years earlier than other cancers. And while quitting before age 50 was better for improving your odds against a lung cancer diagnosis — averaging a 57% lower risk of lung cancer — even quitting after age 50 reduces lung cancer risk by 39% compared to continued smokers, the researchers reported.
"This is a very large population-based study that demonstrates that smoking cessation reduces cancer risk at any age, particularly at a younger age. It also provides insight into the importance of smoking cessation over a longer period and how this further reduces the risk of getting cancer," said Dr. Anton Bilchik, a surgical oncologist, chief of medicine, and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John's Cancer Institute in California.
"The limitations include that it is a retrospective population-based study and therefore does not have detail on non-cancer related deaths and the impact of smoking cessation," Bilchik, who was not involved in the research, told Medical News Today.
One unusual finding was that the researchers found that cancer risk was slightly higher for 10 years post-quitting before falling to half the risk of those who continue to smoke after 15 years.
However, this can be explained by the data researchers were working with, according to Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
"The major limitation of the study is the inclusion of 'sick smokers' in the study, which means people who quit specifically because they already experienced cancer symptoms. This resulted in the observation of an increased risk of cancer for the first five years after smoking, which is an anomaly," he told Medical News Today. "The sensitivity analysis showed that there is a steady decrease in cancer risk after smoking cessation. The main finding is that quitting smoking results in a substantial decrease in cancer risk within about five years, and by 10 years, the risk almost drops to that of nonsmokers."
This aligns with a note from the study authors of a previous case-control study showing that past smokers who had quit for 10 years had nearly equal the liver cancer risks to those who had never smoked.
"These findings reinforce that it is never too late to quit smoking," Siegel said. "There is never a time when it's too late to start trying to quit. The health benefits of quitting occur almost immediately and even the cancer risks drop substantially in just a few years."
Considering the health effects inclusive of, but not limited to, cancer risk is critical, experts say.
From the first hour to the first month to the first year of stopping smoking, people experience improvements in respiratory functioning and blood circulation and see their heart attack risk cut in half, among other benefits.
"This is the most important finding of this study," Bilchik said. "No matter what age, don't smoke, and if you do — stop! Also, do not assume that if you have been a long-term smoker, you have no hope. You do and this study supports it."
What If My Lung Cancer Comes Back?
Katie Trimble is a two-time lung cancer survivor. At age 48, the never-smoker from Centerville, Utah, who hiked every day, was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in March 2021.
To shrink the lime-sized tumor in her right lung, Trimble was treated with a medication targeting the EGFR gene mutation that causes her type of cancer. She also underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
A year later, an imaging scan and blood test indicated that her lung cancer was gone. Then, just a few months later, in July 2022, she started experiencing severe headaches. They were "so painful I felt like my head was going to explode," Trimble recalls. A visit to the emergency room and a CT scan revealed her lung cancer had spread to her brain.
Throughout the recurrence and subsequent treatment, she has tried to maintain a positive outlook, even though at times it was challenging.
"It's mind over matter," says Trimble, now 51. Working 20 to 40 hours per week as a hairstylist helps her focus on something other than cancer. "If you don't wallow in self-pity, I think it's better," she explains.
Here's what experts say you should do if you're worried about or have been told your lung cancer has come back.
First, Get Regular Checkups After Finishing TreatmentAfter finishing treatment for lung cancer, recurrence is a possibility that looms on many survivors' minds. For some, unfortunately, recurrence becomes a harsh reality.
"Some survivors say it's worse than when they were first diagnosed," notes Emily Tonorezos, MD, director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland. "Going through cancer treatment is traumatic, and so, to face a recurrence might feel like revisiting that trauma."
But it's important to not let fear of recurrence prevent you from following up with your doctors and doing the tests they recommend. Even if you feel fine, staying on schedule with these regular checkups is essential.
"Many times, there are no symptoms, particularly in early stages," says Janani Reisenauer, MD, chair of thoracic surgery and an interventional pulmonologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Rochester, Minnesota. "That is why surveillance with imaging is so important for early detection — even with recurrence."
Lung cancer recurrence is frequently detected on a CT scan of the chest that is repeated at specific intervals after initial treatment. It's usually done every six months initially and then annually, says Albert Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer at the American Lung Association and a practicing pulmonologist in Wilmington, Delaware. Sometimes, he adds, cancer is a surprise finding on chest imaging done for other reasons.
Know the Symptoms of Lung Cancer RecurrenceSome patients start to have symptoms before their next surveillance scan. Experts say these symptoms include:
If your symptoms are persistent, your doctor can order imaging tests to see if your lung cancer has come back.
Find Out the Extent and Type of Lung Cancer RecurrenceBesides visualizing the chest, scans can look at other areas of the body where lung cancer may spread, including abdominal structures and bones. If you have headaches or other neurological symptoms, a brain scan may be recommended, says Christina Annunziata, MD, PhD, senior vice president of extramural discovery science at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta.
Based on the imaging's findings, your doctor will be able to assess the extent of your lung cancer. And depending on your tumor's location, a biopsy may be done to confirm a diagnosis, says Anne Chiang, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the division of thoracic medical oncology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
The biopsy can also test for specific mutations and biomarkers to determine which treatment is most likely to be effective. Be sure to ask your doctor whether your cancer is positive for any targeted mutations or biomarkers (sometimes referred to as next-generation sequencing), says Clarke Low, MD, director of thoracic oncology at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City.
Specific treatments can be prescribed to target these particular mutations in the lung cancer cells, says Dr. Annunziata. "The mutated genes (EGFR, ALK, ROS, BRAF, MET, RET, NTRK, HER2) would direct the choice of treatment," she explains.
Most targeted treatments are given as pills, but some are intravenous. If a patient doesn't have any mutations for which there are targeted treatments, then "a biomarker (PD-L1) can predict how effective immunotherapy will be and whether it can be used on its own or in combination with chemotherapy," says Dr. Low.
Ask About Treatment Options and Prognosis for Lung Cancer RecurrenceLow also recommends asking these questions:
"You should always ask about clinical trials," says Dr. Chiang, "since participation may allow access to cutting-edge treatments that won't be commercially available until many years."
Now may also be the time to ask your doctor about your prognosis. This will depend on many factors, including how long it has been since your initial lung cancer was treated, where in the body the lung cancer has recurred, and how many locations in the body the cancer has spread, says Low.
A cancer that recurs in the lung may respond to a change in chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy. Distant recurrences in the bone or brain may benefit from radiation therapy. In some cases, surgery may be an option, Dr. Rizzo says, noting that "this is where discussions with your treating team are so important."
Dr. Reisenauer adds that "sometimes recurrences can be managed with curative intent, but this is very variable." Your overall health also factors into your prognosis.
Build a Strong Support NetworkA strong support system can make a big difference in helping you cope with a recurrence of lung cancer. Reisenauer suggests asking your doctor to connect you with a social worker and mental health professional. "This is an integral part of a patient's treatment," she says.
Hopefully, you had a supportive network of family or friends at the time of your initial diagnosis. And hopefully, you can lean on them for support during your recurrence as well, says Rizzo.
There are also online and in-person patient support groups sponsored by advocacy organizations such as the American Lung Association. These groups "can offer advice and encouragement regarding next steps once a recurrence has occurred," Rizzo says, adding that some patients in these groups have survived multiple recurrences.
Trimble says trying to stay upbeat and having family and friends rally around her has helped.
"The type of cancer that I have, I feel like there's no cure for it, but you can still live a long life, depending on if the medication keeps working," she says.
Her advice to others in the predicament of facing a recurrence of lung cancer: "Just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. [If you believe this,] you can beat anything that comes your way."
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