Rush Limbaugh, whose death was announced on Wednesday, passed away just a year after revealing his advanced diagnosis of lung cancer.
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He is the second patient known to lose his life due to illness this month. Small cell carcinoma, a type of lung cancer, was blamed for the death of “Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond, aged 44, on February 1.
“He was diagnosed with this brutal and relentless form of malignant cancer just three weeks ago. At that time, it managed to spread quickly throughout its system, ”Roger Paul, an actor’s spokesman, told NBC News.
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The disease has a major impact on Americans: lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in men and women in the United States. It is also the leading cause of death from cancer.
What are the types of lung cancer?
Most people think of lung cancer as a disease, but there are actually two main types, which grow differently:
Non-small cell lung cancer: this is the most common type, accounting for 80-85% of cases, according to the American Cancer Society.
Small cell lung cancer: it is much rarer, accounting for about 10-15% of all cases, but it grows and spreads faster than the other type. By the time most patients are diagnosed, this cancer will metastasize out of the lungs. This is the type identified as the cause of Diamond’s death.
It is not clear what type of disease Limbaugh had, but the two men were diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer – with the disease discovered when it had already spread.
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What causes lung cancer?
About 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, and many more are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, the American Cancer Society noted.
Smokers and ex-smokers are at increased risk for small cell lung cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although it is rare for a non-smoker to be diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, it can happen.
Other risk factors include old age; having a family history of lung cancer; exposure to asbestos, arsenic, chromium, beryllium, nickel, soot or tar in the workplace; being exposed to radiation from radiation therapy, certain imaging tests or radon at home or at work; air pollution or HIV infection.
Sometimes lung cancer affects people without known risk factors for the disease. “There is a stigma attached to lung cancer, where people think, ‘If someone never smoked, they would never have lung cancer,'” said Dr. Helena Yu, an oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
Early lung cancer that has not spread usually does not cause symptoms. When warning signs appear, the American Lung Association claims that they include:
- a cough that doesn’t go away and gets worse over time
- hoarseness
- chest pain that usually gets worse with deep breathing, coughing or laughing
- shortness of breath or wheezing
- frequent lung infections, such as bronchitis or pneumonia
- coughing blood
- loss of appetite
- unexplained weight loss
- fatigue – Limbaugh said he started feeling bad before the diagnosis.
There is no good way to track lung cancer early. For now, the best advice is to screen for lung cancer every year if you have a history of heavy smoking and are 55 or older, experts say.
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What is the treatment?
Small cell lung cancer grows rapidly, so it usually responds well to chemotherapy and radiation. Surgery, immunotherapy and laser therapy can also be used.
Non-small cell lung cancer has these treatment options and others, including targeted therapy, cryosurgery, photodynamic therapy and electrocautery. Combining treatments can be more effective than relying on one approach.
Lung cancer is treatable, but not curable, so it can return.
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What is the lung cancer survival rate?
More than half, 56%, of people whose lung cancer is detected before it spreads to other parts of the body live five years after diagnosis, according to the American Lung Association.
That number drops to 5% for patients whose lung cancer has spread to other organs. More than half of people with lung cancer die within a year of diagnosis.
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