ASBESTOS LUNG CANCER

“Asbestos is the name given to a group of naturally occurring minerals used in certain products, such as building materials and vehicle brakes, to resist heat and corrosion. Asbestos includes chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, and any of these materials that have been chemically treated and/or altered.”

ASBESTOS in FACT

The asbestos mineral is mined from the earth. Exposure to asbestos dust/fibres by way of inhalation and/or swallowing can lead to the development of one or more of the following asbestos diseases: malignant mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer; asbestosis, pleural thickening and pleural plaques.

Malignant mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer are, as their names suggest, forms of cancer and have no cure.

Although not a fatal condition in itself it is evidence of exposure to asbestos and therefore a marker of the risks of developing one of the more serious asbestos diseases i.e. malignant mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer.

Asbestos Lung Cancer Explained

Most asbestos lung cancer starts in the lining of the bronchi, the tubes into which the trachea or windpipe divides. However, asbestos lung cancer can also begin in other areas such as the trachea, bronchioles ,or alveoli. Although lung cancer usually develops slowly, until break away and spread to other parts of the body.

The types of lung cancer are

· (SCLC) small cell lung cancer, in which the cancer cells are small and round, Small cell lung cancer accounts for about 20% of all lung cancers (American cancer society)

· (NSCLC) non–small cell lung cancer, in which the cancer cells are larger, Non–small cell lung cancer accounts for almost 80% of lung cancers (American cancer society)

· Mixed small cell/large cell cancer.

Early–stage asbestos lung cancer may be asymptomatic (without symptoms). The methods used to diagnose asbestos lung cancer include imaging tests, biopsies, and taking phlegm (spit) samples

The way asbestos fibers enter the lungs

Asbestos minerals consist of fibers that are easily separable. Amphibole forms of asbestos, whose fibers are straight, are more likely to cause disease than chrysotile, whose fibers are curved.

How asbestos fibers damage the lungs

Not all inhaled asbestos is cleared from the lungs. Amphibole asbestos fibers, which are longer and straighter than chrysotile fibers, tend to remain in the lung the longest.

Asbestos fibers move toward the lower portion of the lungs and the diaphragm, the large muscle that moves the lungs in breathing, which sits just under the lungs. Asbestos fibers and mesothelioma

Asbestos fibers work their way through the lungs into the pleural cavity, the space in the chest where the lungs sit. The asbestos fibers invade the mesothelium, the thin, moist, flexible tissue that lines the cavity. The irritated cells respond by forming scar tissue. The second theory focuses on events at a molecular level, speculating that asbestos fibers interact with individual mesothelial cells, interfering with their cell division, or possibly damaging the cell's DNA during mitosis, or cell division. Although the highest risk of developing mesothelioma comes from prolonged exposure to asbestos fiber.

Protate cancer side effect

Exective summary by Prostate cancer foundation

Improvements in treatment delivery over the years have significantly reduced the severity of side effects of prostate cancer treatments. There are six broad categories of side effects that are typically associated with prostate cancer treatments: urinary dysfunction, bowel dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, loss of fertility, effects due to the loss of testosterone, and side effects of chemotherapy. Urinary Dysfunction

The term of urinary dysfunction encompasses both urinary incontinence, which can range from some leaking to complete loss of bladder control, and irritative voiding symptoms or urinary bother, including increased urinary frequency, increased urinary urgency, and pain upon urination.

For men undergoing prostatectomy, incontinence is the primary urinary side effect. Some form of urinary dysfunction is normal following initial therapy for localized prostate cancer. Management of Urinary Dysfunction
Because the urinary symptoms following radiation therapy are irritative in nature, drugs that improve urinary flow are commonly used. Although over 50% of men stay dry with this procedure, the effects only last for a short time.

Following radiation therapy, only 30% of men showed an improvement, with even fewer men reporting being completely dry after four years.

Treatment side effect

Executive summary by mayo clinic

Radioactive seed implants
Radioactive seeds implanted into the prostate have gained popularity in recent years as a treatment for prostate cancer. The therapy is generally used in men with smaller or moderate-sized prostates with small and lower grade cancers.

During the procedure, between 40 and 100 rice-sized radioactive seeds are placed in your prostate through ultrasound-guided needles. Side effects of radioactive seed implants can include:

Urinary problems. The procedure causes urinary signs and symptoms such as frequent, slow and painful urination in nearly all men. Urinary symptoms tend to be more severe and longer lasting with seed implants than with external beam radiation.

Sexual problems. Some men experience erectile dysfunction due to radioactive seed implants.

Rectal symptoms.

Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy involves trying to stop your body from producing the male sex hormones testosterone, which can stimulate the growth of cancer cells. This type of therapy can also block hormones from getting into cancer cells. In most men with advanced prostate cancer, this form of treatment is effective in helping both shrink the cancer and slow the growth of tumors. Sometimes doctors use hormone therapy in early-stage cancers to shrink large tumors so that surgery or radiation can remove or destroy them more easily. In some cases, hormone therapy is used in combination with radiation therapy or surgery. Some drugs used in hormone therapy decrease your body's production of testosterone. The hormones — known as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonists — can set up a chemical blockade. Drugs typically used in this type of hormone therapy include leuprolide (Lupron, Viadur) and goserelin (Zoladex). Other drugs used in hormone therapy block your body's ability to use testosterone. Simply depriving prostate cancer of testosterone usually doesn't kill all of the cancer cells. Side effects of hormone therapy can include:

Erectile dysfunction

Certain hormone therapy medications can also cause:

Liver damage

Recent reports have shown that men who undergo hormone therapy for prostate cancer may have a higher risk of having a heart attack in the first year or two after starting hormone therapy. Radical prostatectomy
Surgical removal of your prostate gland, called radical prostatectomy, is used to treat cancer that's confined to the prostate gland. This surgery can affect muscles and nerves that control urination and sexual function. Two surgical approaches are available for a prostatectomy — retropubic surgery and perineal surgery.

Retropubic surgery. Perineal surgery. Bladder control problems (urinary incontinence). Most men younger than age 50 who have nerve-sparing surgery are able to achieve erections afterward, and even some men in their 70s are able to maintain normal sexual functioning.