Are you at the risk of Lung cancer?

By Dr. Vikas Goswami   

Lung cancer is one of the most common form of cancer worldwide. Symptoms of developing lung cancer can be chronic cough, blood in sputum, change in voice , weight loss or distant symptoms like bone pain or seizure etc.  The most common cause of lung cancer is smoking.   

In India apart from cigarette smoking other forms of smoking like bidi , hukka, chewing tobacco in various forms  is part of culture.  

Cigarette smoking is increasing in younger age . Risk of lung cancer is up to 30 times higher in long term smokers compared with lifetime non smoker.   

Smoking cessation decreases risk of lung cancer. Lung cancer chances decrease by 25 to 90% by abstinence of more than 15 years.  The risk nevertheless is more than a non smoker. Adults who quit smoking on a long term basis can gain 5-10 years of life.   

If cessation is not possible even a reduction of smoking also helps in reducing the number of cigarettes to half decrease the chance of lung cancer by 25%. Surprisingly up to 20% of lung cancer can happen in non/never smokers.    

The primary reasons are:    

1) Passive Smoking : Relatives and close associates of a smoker who inhale smoke exhaled by the smoker or room smoke are at increased of lung cancer esp. people who have inhaled passive smoke on long term basis like children, this form of exposure is called as second hand smoke.   

2) Environmental pollution: WHO (World Health Organization) has labeled pollution especially the vehicular exhaust and industrial emission as carcinogen. That means people living in polluted cities are constantly exposed to cancerous agents- there is no escape.   

3) Asbestos : Asbestos means a highly heat-resistant fibrous silicate mineral that can be woven into fabrics, and is used in brake linings and in fire-resistant and insulating materials.  It’s exposure leads to lung cancer. It is used in industry (textile shipping, insulation, construction). The workers of such industry are at increased risk of developing lung cancer.  This product is banned in various countries but asbestos industry continues to thrive in India.   

4) Radon exposure:  This colorless and invisible gas is naturally occurring in nature. It has a tendency to accumulate in the basements of buildings.  Those working for long hours

Living with Myeloma

By Dr. Vikas Goswami 

Do you often feel tired, feel fatigue or exhausted thirsty or pale all the time or have chronic backache ? It could be a form of cancer called Multiple Myeloma. Unlike other forms of cancer there are not much ready figures are available that how many people in India are suffering from such cancer. This usually affects people over 40 years of age. 

Multiple myeloma is a rare form of blood cancer which is also known as Kahler’s disease. Myeloma is a cancer of a special type of white blood cells known as plasma cells. These plasma cells are part of the immune system formed in the bone marrow which fights infections. When the plasma cells become cancerous, they populate the bone marrow thereby crippling the immune system, causing infections and other symptoms. 

Signs and symptoms of Myeloma are: 

• fatigue,  
• sudden weight loss,  
• Bone pain, especially in your spine or chest 
• Nausea 
• Constipation 
• loss of appetite 
• Mental fogginess or confusion 
• Frequent infections 
• Weakness or numbness in your legs 
• Excessive thirst 

Factors that may increase your risk of multiple myeloma which includes: 

• Increasing age: Your risk of multiple myeloma increases as you age, with most people diagnosed in their mid-60s. 
• Men are more likely to develop the disease than are women. 

As you can see the symptoms of myeloma are very vague nondescript, this leads to delays in diagnosis and misdiagnosis. 

The causes of multiple myeloma and thereby