|
Lung cancer strikes even those who don’t smoke
By JIM HARRINGTON
| Article published on Thursday, June 14, 2007 |
|
 |
CLEARWATER – It started off as an annoying cough. It couldn’t be too serious, could it? She had a hunch that it could be something more than what her doctor initially thought.
Dilshad Merchant should know about breathing problems. She’s a respiratory therapist. Her doctor first thought her symptoms were indicative of asthma, but she knew better.
Never a smoker, Merchant found out that she had a big and rapidly growing lump on the lower lobe of her left lung.
She was shocked when she heard the words come out of her doctor’s mouth.
How can it be, she asked her family. None of them smoke either, but they did suggest that growing up in Bangladesh could have been a factor.
It was almost 10 years ago that the 61-year-old manager of Morton Plant Mease Healthcare’s Lung Center was given a cancer diagnosis.
She’s now cancer free, the malignant tumor removed through surgery.
Most folks, especially nonsmokers, would be surprised to hear they have cancer. It seems so unnatural.
Isn’t it just smokers who are at risk of developing cancer?
A year ago, a non-smoker, Dana Reeve, the actress and widow of “Superman” Christopher Reeve, was diagnosed with lung cancer and ultimately lost her fight against the disease at the age of 44.
Melissa Lumber Zigong, a lawyer and co-founder of a foundation that funds lung cancer research, died in January at 39. A lawyer and mother, she was typical of the roughly 15 to 20 percent of lung cancer victims: a non-smoker.
Incidentally, according to the American Lung Association, the rate of lung cancer cases is dropping among men in the country, but it is going up among women.
According to the National Cancer Institute, symptoms for lung cancer, or bronchogenic carcinoma, include fatigue and loss of appetite, shortness of breath, constant chest pain and, as in Merchant’s case, a bugger of a cough.
Other symptoms include coughing up blood and problems with pneumonia, as well as a swelling of the neck and face.
It’s well known that lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and that smoking causes cancer, but there are other risk factors, including pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure.
Passive smoking, which occurs often when nonsmokers and smokers share living quarters, also is a common cause of lung cancer, according to Medicinenet.com.
Nonsmokers exposed to passive smoke have a roughly 24 percent greater chance of coming down with lung cancer.
Another cause of lung cancer is radon gas, a naturally occurring gas that forms when uranium decays. It is insidious because it’s odorless and invisible. It seeps through cracks in the foundation after traveling up through soil. The good news is that simple kits are available to detect it.
Still another form of cancer, mesothelioma, is associated with asbestos, which has been used in insulation products. The tiny fibers of asbestos break free from the insulation and get caught up in the lungs, where they can exist for a lifetime.
The United States and other countries have curbed, or strictly eliminated the use of asbestos in certain products.
And of course there is always pollution from vehicles and power plants that increase nonsmokers’ chances of hearing a lung cancer diagnosis.
More than 2,000 lung cancer deaths are attributed to air pollutants, according to the Web site www.Medicinenet.com.
Hereditary considerations also can factor into a better chance of developing cancer.
Merchant doesn’t know the reason why she became one of thousands diagnosed with lung cancer. It’s behind her, though, her health is relatively normal. She said doctors have given her an excellent prognosis.
Merchant was recently invited by the American Lung Association to share her experiences at the “Catch Your Breath” women’s luncheon in Tampa. The luncheon is one example of the educational health initiatives the association uses to highlight women’s lung issues.
|
Article published on Thursday, June 14, 2007
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
