ANSWER: It’s rare for lung cancer to trigger symptoms before it progresses to its later stages. Most cases of early-stage lung cancer are detected by chance in people without symptoms who have a chest imaging study for other reasons. Not smoking or quitting smoking still is the most effective way to prevent lung cancer. But there are other steps you can take that contribute to long-term lung health.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., among both men and women. Typical symptoms, which usually appear only when the disease is advanced, include a persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing up blood and hoarseness.

Smoking is by far the most common cause of lung cancer. People who smoke make up about 85 percent of lung cancer cases. Lung cancer risk for smokers goes up with the amount a person smokes each day, along with the number of years of smoking.

Nonsmokers who may be at an increased risk for developing lung cancer include individuals who have prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke, long-term exposure to radon gas, workplace exposure to asbestos and other substances known to cause cancer, and people who have a family history of lung cancer.

The best way to avoid lung cancer is not to smoke. Quitting at any age significantly lowers the risk of developing lung cancer. Longtime current smokers and prior smokers also may benefit from newly established lung cancer screening programs.

Screening is used to detect lung cancer in people at high risk for the disease before symptoms appear. It involves an imaging test — known as a low radiation dose CT scan of the lungs — to look for signs of cancer, specifically pulmonary nodules. If cancer is found at an early stage, it’s more likely to be able to be successfully treated. Lung cancer screening has been shown to save lives, similar to breast cancer and colon cancer screening using mammography and colonoscopy, respectively.

In general, screening is recommended for people 55 to 80 who have smoked for 30 pack years or more. Pack years are calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked a day and the number of years smoked. Screening may be appropriate for other individuals at increased risk for lung cancer, too. If you think you may fall into one of those categories based on your health history, family history or exposure to cancer-causing substances, talk to your health care provider about screening. A national study conducted in 2011 found that annual lung cancer screening for high-risk individuals significantly reduced lung cancer-related deaths in that population.

Beyond not smoking, taking steps to reduce your exposure to radon also may lower your lung cancer risk. Radon is created by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. If you live in an area where radon is common, have your home tested for it. For information on radon testing, contact your local department of public health or a local chapter of the American Lung Association.

If your work involves exposure to toxic substances, take steps to protect yourself. Follow your employer’s precautions. For example, if you’re given a face mask for protection, always wear it.

Finally, a healthy, active lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can boost your immune system and lower your risk for many types of cancer, including lung cancer.

If you’re concerned about developing lung cancer, talk to your health care provider. He or she can evaluate your overall risk and help determine if there are steps you can take to lower that risk. — Dr. Tobias Peikert, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Lung cancer — symptoms and prevention appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER Minn. – A team of researchers including investigators from Mayo Clinic has identified a technology to address the problem of false positives in CT-based lung cancer screening. The team’s findings are published in the current issue of PLOS One.

“As physicians, one of the most challenging problems in screening patients for lung cancer is that the vast majority of the detected pulmonary nodules are not cancer,” says Tobias Peikert, M.D., a pulmonologist at Mayo Clinic. “Even in individuals who are at high risk for lung cancer, up to 96 percent of nodules are not cancer.”

Dr. Peikert says false-positive test results cause significant patient anxiety and often lead to unnecessary additional testing, including surgery. “False-positive lung cancer screening results also increase health care costs and may lead to unintentional physician-caused injury and mortality,” Dr. Peikert says.

To address the problem of false positives in lung cancer screening Dr. Peikert and Fabien Maldonado, M.D., from Vanderbilt University, along with their collaborators used a radiomics approach to analyze the CT images of all lung cancers diagnosed as part of the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial. Radiomics is a field of medicine that involves extracting large amounts of quantitative data from medical images and using computer programs to identify disease characteristics that cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Researchers tested a set of 57 variables for volume, nodule density, shape, nodule surface characteristics and texture of the surrounding lung tissue. They identified eight variables which enabled them to distinguish a benign nodule from a cancerous nodule. None of the eight variables were directly linked to nodule size and the researchers did not include any demographic variables such as age, smoking status and prior cancer history as part of their testing.

Dr. Peikert says that while the technology looks very promising and has the potential to change the way physicians evaluate incidentally detected lung nodules, it still requires additional validation.

Funding for this research was provided by the Department of Defense, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Co-authors include:

• Tobias Peikert, M.D., Mayo Clinic
• Fenghai Duan, Ph.D. Brown University School of Public Health
• Srinivasan Rajagopalan, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
• Ryan Clay, M.D., Mayo Clinic
• Richard A. Robb, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
• Brian J. Bartholmai, M.D., Mayo Clinic
• Fabien Maldonado, M.D., Vanderbilt University

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About Mayo Clinic
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 Media contact:

• Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Researchers identify method to overcome false positives in CT imaging for lung cancer appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ANSWER: Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer, with about 3,000 new cases reported each year in the United States. It is much less common than lung cancer. Unlike lung cancer, mesothelioma does not start within the lung tissue. It arises from the mesothelium that forms the outside lining of the lung, also called the pleura; however, mesothelioma may spread into the lungs. Rarely, it can also arise from the lining of the abdominal cavity or other internal organs. The exact cause is unclear, but there appears to be a strong association between exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma. The most common treatment for mesothelioma is chemotherapy, but a combination of different therapies can be used. Research investigating possible new treatment options is underway.

The most significant risk factor for developing mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that’s found naturally in the environment. Asbestos fibers are strong and heat resistant, making them useful in a wide variety of products, including building insulation and flooring.

When asbestos is broken up, such as during the mining process or when removing asbestos insulation, it can create dust. If you inhale or swallow the dust, the asbestos fibers settle in your lungs or stomach, where they can cause irritation that may lead to mesothelioma. Exactly how this happens isn’t understood. It can take up to 30 to 40 years or more for mesothelioma to develop after asbestos exposure.

Unfortunately, there is no screening test for mesothelioma at this time. Most patients seek medical attention when symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pain develop. These symptoms often don’t appear until the disease is in its late stages. At that point, treatment options are limited. Unfortunately, people with mesothelioma are rarely cured of the disease. The goal of treatment typically is to control the disease as long as possible.

For most patients with late-stage mesothelioma, treatment involves chemotherapy. More aggressive treatment options combining surgery with chemotherapy and radiation are limited to people who have early-stage mesothelioma and who can tolerate these therapies.

For those who can tolerate it, the goal of surgery is to remove all visible disease: a complex and difficult task. In addition, the benefits of surgery depend heavily on being combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Many people have trouble with that due to the side effects from those treatments. Despite using a variety of treatments, long-term survival remains low for patients with mesothelioma, with a five-year survival rate between 5 and 10 percent.

People diagnosed with mesothelioma may benefit from receiving care delivered with a team approach. Those teams often include lung physicians and lung surgeons, physicians who specialize in cancer care, pathologists who work with the lab tests and experts in imaging exams. The goal of the team approach is for the group to work together to identify the best possible treatment options for each patient.

A considerable amount of research currently is exploring possible new treatment options for mesothelioma. For example, researchers at Mayo Clinic are working on a clinical trial that uses the measles virus to fight mesothelioma, as has been done with other hard-to-treat cancers such as multiple myeloma. Although the research is still in its early stages, investigators have seen interesting responses to potential new therapies and are optimistic that treatment for mesothelioma can be improved. — Tobias Peikert, M.D., Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Asbestos exposure a significant risk factor for mesothelioma appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Here's the podcast:  MCR Podcast June 13 2015

The post Mesothelioma/Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder/Senior Nutrition: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Malignant mesothelioma, cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen, is relatively rare but often fatal. The 5-year survival rate is between just 5 and 10 percent. On this week's program, thoracic surgeon Dr. Dennis Wigle and pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist Dr. Tobias Peikert explain how viruses are being used to treat mesothelioma and increase the odds of survival. Also on the program, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of the Mayo Clinic Women's Health Clinic, discusses hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women and the new drug designed to treat HSDD. And geriatrician Dr. Paul Takahashi talks about how to detect and prevent malnutrition in older adults.

Myth or Matter-of-Fact: Malignant mesothelioma often begins decades before it's diagnosed.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeart Radio.

Click here to listen to the program on Saturday, June 13, at 9:05 a.m., and follow #MayoClinicRadio.

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Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic. The show is taped for rebroadcast by some affiliates.

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Myth or Matter-of-Fact: Malignant mesothelioma often begins decades before it's diagnosed.

Miss the program? Here's the podcast:MCR Podcast June 13 2015

Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

To find and listen to archived shows, click here.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Mesothelioma/Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder/Senior Nutrition appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.