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Query: UMLS:C0242379 (lung cancer)
 71,905 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Based on several severe air pollution episodes, a temporal correlation between high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and SO2 pollution and acute increases in respiratory and cardiopulmonary mortality had been established in Vienna for the 1970's. After air pollution had decreased in Austria in the 1980's--as documented by data on SO2, and total suspended particles (TSP)--no such associations between day-to-day changes of SO2 and TSP and mortality have been documented any more, however, traffic related pollutants like fine particles and NO2 remained a problem. Therefore, short term effects of PM on lung function, morbidity and mortality were investigated in Vienna, Linz, Graz and a rural control area. Long-term exposure and chronic disease--even more important for public health--were studied in repeated cross-sectional, a mixed longitudinal and a birth cohort study on school children in the city of Linz. Lung function growth was found impaired from long-term exposure to air pollutants and improved in districts where ambient air pollution had decreased. Where only TSP and SO2 had decreased, no continuous improvement of small airway function was found and end-expiratory flow rates stayed impaired where NO2-reduction from technical improvements of cars and industry was counterbalanced by increase of motorized (diesel) traffic. Remaining acute effects of ambient air pollution in 2001 from PM, NO2 and co-pollutants found in a time series study also show that continuing efforts are necessary. Active surface of particles inhaled several hours to days before spirometry was found related to short-term reductions in forced vital capacity-FVC (p<0.01), forced expiratory volume in one second-FEV1 (p<0.01) and maximal expiratory flow rate at 50% of vital capacity-MEF50 (p<0.05). In pupils with asthma or previous airway obstruction 4-week-diaries proved that the following symptoms increased with acute exposure to higher active surface of particles: wheezing (p<0.01), dyspnea, cough when going to sleep, cough at night (p<0.05). Efforts to reduce exposure to fine particles from motor traffic and passive smoking have to be increased if we want to achieve full recovery of children from air pollution effects and best respiratory performance in adulthood. Surveillance seems to be necessary not only for particle mass but also for particle number and surface. Little is known on the mechanisms of irreversible long-term effects of PM such as myocardial infarction and cancer. In a prospective cohort study on 1630 dust-exposed and 1630 non dust-exposed workers matched for smoking we found an increase of lung cancer related to nonfibrous insoluble PM. Other studies were able to relate lung cancer to specific particles like those from diesel engines, and a large prospective study of the American Cancer Society was able to link lung cancer in the general population with long-term exposure to fine particles from combustion processes. All these recent epidemiological findings will have consequences for occupational and ambient air PM standards.
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PMID:[Suspended particulates and lung health]. 1551 85

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Fifteen percent of patients are asymptomatic at diagnosis. Symptoms usually indicate advanced disease. Signs include chronic cough, hemoptysis, wheezing, dyspnea, vague chest pain, hoarseness, pleural effusion, cardiac arrhythmias and bone pain. Significant surgical advances have reduced operational mortality rate. Early detection and surgery can increase survival rates for some patients.
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PMID:Lung cancer: the importance of early intervention. 1935 Nov 1

Cigarette smoking, one of the most pervasive habits in society, presents many well established health risks. While lung cancer is probably the most common and well documented disease associated with tobacco exposure, it is becoming clear from recent research that many other diseases are causally related to smoking. Whether from direct smoking or inhaling environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), termed secondhand smoke, the cells of the respiratory tissues and the lining pulmonary surfactant are the first body tissues to be directly exposed to the many thousands of toxic chemicals in tobacco. Considering the vast surface area of the lung and the extreme attenuation of the blood-air barrier, it is not surprising that this organ is the primary route for exposure, not just to smoke but to most environmental contaminants. Recent research has shown that the pulmonary surfactant, a complex mixture of phospholipids and proteins, is the first site of defense against particulates or gas components of smoke. However, it is not clear what effect smoke has on the surfactant. Most studies have demonstrated that smoking reduces bronchoalveolar lavage phospholipid levels. Some components of smoke also appear to have a direct detergent-like effect on the surfactant while others appear to alter cycling or secretion. Ultimately these effects are reflected in changes in the dynamics of the surfactant system and, clinically in changes in lung mechanics. Similarly, exposure of the developing fetal lung through maternal smoking results in postnatal alterations in lung mechanics and higher incidents of wheezing and coughing. Direct exposure of developing lung to nicotine induces changes suggestive of fetal stress. Furthermore, identification of nicotinic receptors in fetal lung airways and corresponding increases in airway connective tissue support a possible involvement of nicotine in postnatal asthma development. Finally, at the level of the alveoli of the lung, colocalization of nicotinic receptors and surfactant-specific protein in alveolar cells is suggestive of a role in surfactant metabolism. Further research is needed to determine the mechanistic effects of smoke and its components on surfactant function and, importantly, the effects of smoke components on the developing pulmonary system.
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PMID:The pulmonary surfactant: impact of tobacco smoke and related compounds on surfactant and lung development. 1957 Feb 67

Small-cell lung cancer often presents as an extensive cancer, and rarely as a solitary tracheal tumor. We report a 41-year-old male smoker with dyspnea and wheezing that was initially diagnosed as asthma and treated with bronchodilators. He was later intubated for acute respiratory failure, and computed tomography revealed a tracheal mass. Solitary primary small-cell lung cancer was diagnosed via bronchoscopic biopsy. The patient received bronchoscopic electro-surgery and was successfully extubated. Concurrent chemo-radiotherapy was performed due to the stage IV small-cell lung cancer.
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PMID:Solitary primary tracheal small-cell lung cancer causing acute respiratory failure: diagnosis and treatment. 2058 6

Detection of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients presenting with respiratory symptoms is recommended; however, diagnosing COPD is difficult because a single gold standard is not available. The aim of this article is to review and interpret the existing evidence, theories and consensus on the individual parts of the diagnostic work-up for COPD. Relevant articles are discussed under the subheadings: history taking, physical examination, spirometry and additional lung function assessment. Wheezing, cough, phlegm and breathlessness on exertion are suggestive signs for COPD. The diagnostic value of the physical examination is limited, except for auscultated pulmonary wheezing or reduced breath sounds, increasing the probability of COPD. Spirometric airflow obstruction after bronchodilation, defined as a lowered ratio of the forced volume in one second to the forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC ratio), is a prerequisite, but can only confirm COPD in combination with suggestive symptoms. Different thresholds are being recommended to define low FEV1/FVC, including a fixed threshold, and one varying with gender and age; however, the way physicians interpret these thresholds in their assessment is not well known. Body plethysmography allows a more complete assessment of pulmonary function, providing results on the total lung capacity and the residual volume and is indicated when conventional spirometry results are inconclusive. Chest radiography has no diagnostic value for COPD but is useful to exclude alternative diagnoses such as heart failure or lung cancer. Extensive history taking is of key importance in diagnosing COPD.
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PMID:Diagnostic management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 2227 8

Data on respiratory effects of indoor air pollution in elderly are scanty. The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge on adverse respiratory effects of indoor air pollution in individuals aged over 65 years, by presenting existing epidemiological evidence. Using MEDLINE database through PubMed, we identified relevant publications published between 1991 and 2011 in English on respiratory health effects of indoor air pollution in elderly (>65 years). A total of 61 studies were found and after application of the inclusion criteria: (i) epidemiologic studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals between January 1991 and December 2011, (ii) study population with age over or equal 65 years, and (iii) outcome of respiratory symptoms and disease with the exclusion of lung cancer, 33 relevant publications were selected. Most of them showed significant relationships between exposure to major indoor air pollutants and various short-term and long-term respiratory health outcomes such as wheezing, breathlessness, cough, phlegm, asthma, COPD, lung cancer and more rarely lung function decline. The most consistent relationship is found between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Further studies in the elderly population are needed in order to define causal relationships between exposures to indoor air pollution and underlying mechanisms in this sub-population.
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PMID:Indoor air pollution and respiratory health in the elderly. 2400 33

Habitual smoking of marijuana is associated with multiple respiratory symptoms such as cough, sputum production, and wheezing .These symptoms are not significantly different from those exhibited by tobacco smokers. Furthermore, endobronchial biopsies of habitual smokers of marijuana and /or tobacco have shown that both marijuana and cigarette smoking cause significant bronchial mucosal histopathology and that these effects are additive. Although marijuana smokers have minimal changes in pulmonary function studies as compared to tobacco smokers, they may develop bullous disease and spontaneous pneumothoraces. The relationship between marijuana smoking and lung cancer remains unclear due to design limitations of the studies published so far. These findings should warn individuals that marijuana smoking may result in serious short-term and long-term respiratory complications, and habitual marijuana use should be viewed with caution. The medical literature so far does not support routine evaluation by pulmonary function tests or imaging studies; until more definitive data is available, we do not recommend the regular use of these tests in the evaluation of habitual marijuana smokers.
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PMID:Legalizing Cannabis: A physician's primer on the pulmonary effects of marijuana. 2540 Oct 45

A 73-year-old man with a known history of asthma presented with dyspnea, worsening wheezing and a productive cough complicated by chronic sinusitis. Chest computed tomography showed bronchial wall thickening with centrilobular nodules and ground-glass opacity in the right lower lobe. Features meeting the diagnostic criteria for diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) were identified, and lobectomy confirmed the presence of lung cancer. Over the subsequent four years, the patient's symptoms worsened. We reevaluated a lung lobe specimen, which showed hypereosinophilic obliterative bronchiolitis (HOB). A transbronchial lung biopsy also indicated bronchitis with eosinophilic infiltration. Our initial diagnosis of DPB was subsequently changed to HOB after four years. We herein describe this case of HOB, which was initially diagnosed as DPB primarily based on high-resolution computed tomography, with a focus on the histopathology and long-term clinical course. This is the first report to document the long-term clinical course of HOB.
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PMID:Hypereosinophilic obliterative bronchiolitis clinically mimicking diffuse panbronchiolitis: four-year follow-up. 2594 54

Aspiration of a foreign body occurs rarer in adults than it does in children. Advanced age and swallowing disorders, often caused by neuromuscular diseases, predispose for aspiration. Symptoms due to aspiration are mainly cough and wheezing. However, clinical and radiological symptoms may mistakenly suggest lung cancer. Making a proper diagnosis could be difficult and time consuming. In this study we report a case of a 73-year old woman who has been diagnosed and treated myasthenia gravis for 10 years. The patient manifested chronic cough for over a year, weight loss, lung lesions on chest X-ray and computed tomography images in the form of atelectasis and inflammatory infiltrations. The results of cytological tests of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were 'atypical cells' which suggested a lung cancer. Flexible bronchoscopy set the diagnosis as a foreign body in right upper bronchus, which turned out to be a piece of a plant obstructing the bronchus. The patient came down with pneumonia. Laboratory examinations revealed leucocytosis and a high level of C-reactive protein. A complete removal of foreign body took place during rigid bronchoscopy. Concomitantly, but unrelated to the finding of a foreign body in the bronchus, the patient was diagnosed with digestive tract perforation on the basis of X-ray images, which remained otherwise asymptomatic. Explorative laparotomy revealed a perforated colonic diverticulum, which was successfully treated surgically.
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PMID:Foreign Body in the Airway a Female Patient with Myasthenia Gravis. 2645 68

This systematic review focuses on respiratory effects of inhalational marijuana. The systematic review of the literature was conducted using a comparative method between 2 researchers. Abstracts were reviewed for inclusion of respiratory effects related to inhalational marijuana. Relevant abstracts were collected, and full text articles were retrieved for review. Articles were removed if they did not contain burning marijuana; were animal studies; or were editorials, systematic reviews, commentaries, non-English language, or non-respiratory-related articles. Forty-eight articles were collected and categorized by respiratory effects. In particular, lung cancer, bullous emphysema/COPD, and other respiratory symptoms were the primary categories. Articles were noted by study population country, sample size, age distribution, and findings that were pertinent to respiratory health. The research indicates that there is a risk of lung cancer from inhalational marijuana as well as an association between inhalational marijuana and spontaneous pneumothorax, bullous emphysema, or COPD. A variety of symptoms have been reported by inhalational marijuana smokers, including wheezing, shortness of breath, altered pulmonary function tests, cough, phlegm production, bronchodilation, and other symptoms. It is important to stay current with research findings to educate patients on this smoking behavior.
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PMID:A Systematic Review of the Respiratory Effects of Inhalational Marijuana. 2750 73


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