Lung Cancer Archives

November 30, 2020 Word for Word Media

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers globally affecting 2,09 million people in 2018.1 Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death with 1,76 million deaths worldwide in 2018.1 Smoking and lung cancer People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke.2 The best way to reduce your risk of lung cancer is to not smoke and to avoid second hand smoke.3 Quitting smoking at any age can lower the risk of lung cancer.2 Signs and symptoms of lung…

Lung Cancer Liezl Nell – Keeping life sweet

November 30, 2020 Word for Word Media

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Metastatic lung cancer patient, Liezl Nell, shares how baking during lockdown transformed into an online bakery that in turn raised funds to cover some of the co-payments of her treatment. Liezl Nell (31) lives in Randburg, Gauteng with her two older sisters, Louw-Mari and Bernadette. An active life was what Liezl lived. She played several club sports, like tennis and hockey, and was at the gym at least once a day. So, when she experienced pain above her left rib and shoulder, in Oct 2019, she thought it was a muscle that she had pulled. Two weeks went by…

Lung Cancer Lung cancer treatment in 2019

November 27, 2019 Word for Word Media

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Medical oncologist, Dr Sze Wai Chan, informs us of all we need to know about how lung cancer has been treated in 2019. Lung cancer is common and is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. In South Africa, it often gets confused with the epidemic of TB. The signs and symptoms of TB are very similar to lung cancer and investigations for TB often delay the actual investigations and diagnosis of lung cancer. Common signs and symptoms Cough that doesn’t go away in a few weeks. Coughing up blood Short of breath Chest pain Loss of weight Night sweats Hoarseness…

Lung Cancer Going strong – Mahendra Modi

September 30, 2019 Word for Word Media

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We catch up with lung cancer patient, Mahendra Modi (79), who was on our Nov/Dec cover, in 2016, and hear how well he is doing on osimertinib (Tagrisso), an oral medication. Mahendra Modi (79) lives in Mulbarton, Gauteng with his wife. He has three children and seven grandchildren. Background Mahendra was diagnosed, in 2014, with Stage 4 lung cancer associated with an EGFR mutation. This type of lung cancer is not related to cigarette smoking but is driven by a mutation (changing of the structure of a gene), called an EGRF mutation. Due to the stage of Mahendra’s cancer, surgery was not an…

Archives Cool,calm and collected

December 1, 2016 Word for Word Media

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One would think the less one smokes, the lower the risk would be of getting lung cancer, however, in Mahendra Modi’s case he developed lung cancer associated with an EGFR mutation, at the age of 74, despite never smoking. But not once has he feared death. He shares his remarkable story with us. Mahendra Modi (76) lives in Mulbarton, south of JHB, with his wife. He has three children and seven grandchildren. In 2014, a week after Mahendra arrived in Australia to visit his son, Dharmesh, he experienced abdominal pain and had trouble breathing. He didn’t take it too…

Lung Cancer Targeted treatment and less known facts on lung cancer

January 1, 2016 Word for Word Media

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, ranking number one for both sexes. Lung cancer can be broadly divided into two categories: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer. org/cancer/lungcancer), non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85- 90% of lung cancers while small cell lung cancer accounts for 10-15% of all lung cancers. NSCLC has three major subtypes: squamous cell carcinoma (25- 30%), adenocarcinoma (40%), and large cell carcinoma (10-15%). The majority of lung cancer is related to tobacco smoking, but 10-15% of lung cancers occur in lifelong never smokers1. Adenocarcinoma currently accounts for approximately 39%…