Lungs Infection Biography
(Source google.com)
Lung
diseases can be congenital or acquired after birth. Many lung diseases
are life-threatening, or lead to chronic morbidity (debility). Millions
of people in the United States and world-wide are affected by lung
disease of one kind or another. Life-saving surfactant therapy for
respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), which occurs in infants born
prematurely, was developed at Cincinnati Children’s by Dr. Whitsett.
This therapy alone has resulted in a major reduction in perinatal deaths
in the United States and countries world-wide. In a similar manner,
groups in our division are actively seeking new treatments and therapies
for many other lung diseases that affect children and adults. Using a
wealth of cutting-edge approaches (many of which have been developed in
our division) our groups work on the pathogenesis (causes) of lung
diseases with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. Some of
the lung diseases being studied in the Division of Pulmonary Biology.
The American Cancer Society says that lung cancer makes up 14% of all
newly diagnosed cancers in the USA today. It adds that annually, more
patients die from lung cancer alone than prostate, breast and colon
cancers combined (in the USA). An American man’s lifetime risk of
developing lung cancer is 1 in 13; for a woman the risk is 1 in 16.
These risk figures are for all US adults, including smokers, ex-smokers
and non-smokers. The risk for a regular smoker is dramatically higher.
Most lung cancer patients are over the age of 60 years when they are
diagnosed. Lung cancer takes several years to reach a level where
symptoms are felt and the sufferer decides to seek medical help. In the
UK, female accounts for 80% of lung cancers, while small cell lung
cancer accounts for the remaining 20%. Carcinogens are a class of
substances that are directly responsible for damaging DNA, promoting or
aiding cancer. Tobacco, asbestos, arsenic, radiation such as gamma and
x-rays, the sun, and compounds in car exhaust fumes are all lung
cancer deaths will reach 95,000 annually in 2040, from 26,000 in 2010 –
a rise of more than 350%. Male annual lung cancer deaths will increase
by 8% over the same period, to 42,000 in 2040 from 39,000 in 2010. The
authors of the report say that lung cancer will continue being the
largest cancer killer over the next thirty years. Twice as many people
will be living with lung cancer in 2040 compared to 2010. The main
reason for the increase will be longer lifespans - the older you are,
the higher your risk of cancer is, including lung cancer.
Lung cancer can be broadly classified into two main types based on the cancer's appearance under a microscope: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80% of lung cancers, while small cell lung cancer accounts for the remaining 20%. Carcinogens are a class of substances that are directly responsible for damaging DNA, promoting or aiding cancer. Tobacco, asbestos, arsenic, radiation such as gamma and x-rays, the sun, and compounds in car exhaust fumes are all examples of carcinogens. When our bodies are exposed to carcinogens, free radicals are formed that try to steal electrons from other molecules in the body. These free radicals damage cells and affect their ability to function and divide normally.
About 87% of lung cancers are related to smoking and inhaling the carcinogens in tobacco smoke. Even exposure to second-hand smoke can damage cells so that cancer forms. Cancer can be the result of a genetic predisposition that is inherited from family members. It is possible to be born with certain genetic mutations or a fault in a gene that makes one statistically more likely to develop cancer later in life. Genetic predispositions are thought to either directly cause lung cancer or greatly increase one's chances of developing lung cancer from exposure to certain environmental factors.
Lung cancer can be broadly classified into two main types based on the cancer's appearance under a microscope: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80% of lung cancers, while small cell lung cancer accounts for the remaining 20%. Carcinogens are a class of substances that are directly responsible for damaging DNA, promoting or aiding cancer. Tobacco, asbestos, arsenic, radiation such as gamma and x-rays, the sun, and compounds in car exhaust fumes are all examples of carcinogens. When our bodies are exposed to carcinogens, free radicals are formed that try to steal electrons from other molecules in the body. These free radicals damage cells and affect their ability to function and divide normally.
About 87% of lung cancers are related to smoking and inhaling the carcinogens in tobacco smoke. Even exposure to second-hand smoke can damage cells so that cancer forms. Cancer can be the result of a genetic predisposition that is inherited from family members. It is possible to be born with certain genetic mutations or a fault in a gene that makes one statistically more likely to develop cancer later in life. Genetic predispositions are thought to either directly cause lung cancer or greatly increase one's chances of developing lung cancer from exposure to certain environmental factors.