Lung Cancer: Your Questions & Expert Answers

by Joan H. Schiller, Ivy Elkins

Overview

ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF!According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, following prostate cancer and breast cancer. No one with lung cancer needs to be alone in their fight against this disease. That's where this book and the information within can help.Lung Cancer: Your Questions & Expert Answers, Fifth Edition offers authoritative and practical answers to the most common questions asked by patients and their loved ones. What is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)? What causes lung cancer? How is lung cancer treated? The updated Fifth Edition features several new appendices with valuable information, such as important questions to ask your doctor, a comprehensive list of resources for additional information, and staging criteria for non-small cell lung cancer. Lung Cancer: Your Questions & Expert Answers is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional uncertainty of this disease.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781284250190
Publisher:	Jones & Bartlett Learning
Publication date:	05/03/2022
Edition description:	5th ed.
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Joan Schiller is widely published and internationally recognized for her work in lung cancer clinical research. Before serving as the Deputy Director of Clinical Investigation for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, Virginia, she was the division chief of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center and Deputy Director of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center in Dallas.Dr. Schiller has served as an editor for the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a board member for the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the principal investigator on many national clinical trials for lung cancer. She was chairperson of the Thoracic Oncology Committee of the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group for many years, and currently serves on the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors - Clinical Sciences and Epidemiology. She also serves on ASCO’s Guideline Panel for Systemic Therapy for Stage IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.Dr. Schiller’s research has generated well over 200 publications that she has authored or co-authored, including articles, abstracts, book chapters, books, reviews and invited manuscripts.Dr. Schiller is the founder and President of Free to Breathe, a national advocacy organization aimed at raising awareness and funding for lung cancer, which has recently merged with Lung Cancer Research Foundation. She is passionate about climate change and its impact on health, and has given webinars and written articles and editorials on the subject.

Table of Contents

Part 1 The Basics 1

1 What is cancer?

2 What should I know about cancer cells?

3 Why do I need to know about DNA and genes? I'm not a doctor or a scientist!

4 How do normal lungs function?

5 Are there different types of lung cancer?

6 What causes lung cancer?

7 Who gets lung cancer? Is it contagious? Can my children get it from me?

Part 2 Diagnosis 15

8 How is lung cancer diagnosed? Which tests are performed to diagnose lung cancer?

Part 3 Staging 23

9 What is staging? Why is it important? What are the staging guidelines for NSCLC and SCLC?

Part 4 Coping with the Symptoms of Lung Cancer 27

10 What are the symptoms of lung cancer?

11 Can my shortness of breath be controlled?

12 What can be done to relieve my pain?

13 What are pleural or pericardial effusions and how are they managed?

14 Why am I always exhausted? What can I do for fatigue? Will the fatigue go away after my treatment is over?

15 I'm losing weight. My family tells me to eat more, but I don't have an appetite. What can I do?

Part 5 I've Just Been Diagnosed with Lung Cancer-Next Steps 43

16 Who treats lung cancer?

17 How do I find the best doctors to treat my lung cancer? Does the hospital make any difference in my care?

18 Should I get a second opinion?

19 How do I go about getting a second opinion?

20 How can I communicate and relate best to my doctor and his or her staff? What can I do to make my medical visits as productive as possible?

21 How much do you want to know? What about friends and family members?

22 How will I ever be able to remember what the doctor said? Should I take notes?

Part 6 Surgery 63

23 What determines whether I am able to have surgery?

24 Are there different types of operations for lung cancer?

25 What should I expect following surgery?

26 What does my surgeon mean when he or she says, "I got it all"? Does this mean 1 am cured?

Part 7 Chemotherapy 73

27 What is chemotherapy and how does it work?

28 What can 1 expect on the days I get chemotherapy?

29 Why does my doctor order blood tests during my chemotherapy treatment?

30 What is a central line? What is a port? How do I know if I need one?

31 What are common side effects of chemotherapy?

32 Will I lose my hair during chemotherapy or radiation? What can I do to make the experience more tolerable?

33 Why am I tired all the time?

34 What can I do if I have lost my appetite?

35 I have heard stories from patients who underwent chemotherapy years ago and had terrible nausea and vomiting. Will I have a similar experience?

36 Why is my doctor always ordering blood tests?

37 What other side effects might I experience?

38 Are there long-term, permanent side effects from treatment?

Part 8 Targeted Therapy 97

39 What are mutations, and why are they important?

40 What is targeted therapy?

41 What are some common mutations in lung cancer?

42 How will my doctor know if I have an actionable mutation?

43 What is a biomarker?

44 What are common side effects of targeted therapy?

Part 9 Immunotherapy 109

45 What is immunotherapy and how does it work?

46 What are the side effects of immunotherapy drugs?

47 What are monoclonal antibodies? Are they a type of immunotherapy?

48 Are there any other monoclonal antibodies that boost the immune system other than ones that target PD-1 or PD-L1?

49 What are angiogenesis inhibitors, and what are the common side effects? Are there other ways to inhibit angiogenesis other than through the use of monoclonal antibodies?

50 Are there monoclonal antibodies to EGFR?

51 What are antibody drug conjugates?

52 Are there other types of immunotherapy treatments?

53 What are biosimilars?

Part 10 Radiation Therapy 123

54 What is radiation therapy and how does it work?

55 What does a typical radiation regimen look like?

56 What is proton therapy?

57 What are common side effects of radiation therapy?

58 What is combined modality therapy for lung cancer? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach?

Part 11 Treatment by Stage 133

59 What are the treatment options for Stage I NSCLC?

60 What are the treatment options for Stage II?

61 What are the treatment options for Stage III?

62 What is a Pancoast tumor?

63 What are the treatment options for Stage IV (metastatic disease)?

64 What are the treatment options for SCLC?

65 My doctor has recommended prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). What is PCI, and how do I decide whether it is right for me?

66 My doctor told me that I have developed brain metastases. What axe my treatment options?

67 How are bone metastases treated?

68 What is complementary medicine?

69 What is alternative medicine?

70 Am I too old for chemotherapy? Will it be too tough on me? Are there particular considerations for the treatment of elderly lung cancer patients?

71 What if my first treatment is not effective? Do I have other options? What happens if my disease recurs?

Part 12 Clinical Trials 157

72 What are clinical trials?

73 What is the difference between Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III trials?

74 I am worried about what a clinical trial means for my care. Will I get a placebo instead of treatment? Is a trial a last resort?

Part 13 Coping with Your Diagnosis 163

75 How do I manage my emotions? Should I seek professional counseling? What types of psychosocial support are available to me?

76 What are lung cancer advocacy and support groups?

77 Am I depressed? Should I seek professional counseling? What types of psychosocial support are available to me?

78 How do I cope with the stigma of having what some people might view as a self-inflicted disease? Should I feel guilty if I have a history of smoking? What if I never smoked-how do I cope with having a disease that many associate with smoking?

Part 14 Living with Lung Cancer 173

79 What should I tell my children about my lung cancer? What if my children are grown?

80 What do caregivers need to know to best support a person with lung cancer?

81 How should I change my diet following a lung cancer diagnosis? Should I take dietary supplements? Can diet affect my survival from lung cancer?

82 If I smoke, is there any reason to quit? How can I quit smoking while dealing with the stress of lung cancer?

83 Should I be exercising?

84 What should I know about stress and the immune system? How does stress affect my survival and my ability to cope with my disease? Can complementary therapies help to reduce my stress?

85 Should I get a flu shot? What about the pneumonia vaccine?

86 What about COVID-19? Should I get vaccinated? Should I continue my lung cancer treatment?

87 What about returning to work? I am worried about being able to function at 100%. What are my rights?

88 What happens if I no longer have any evidence of disease? Why don't I feel happy-or at least relieved?

89 What kind of follow-up care should I have if I have completed treatment? How often should I be seen? What is my doctor looking for?

Part 15 Practical Aspects of Living with Lung Cancer 195

90 What insurance and financial concerns do I need to address following a lung cancer diagnosis?

91 How do I learn to manage the medical paperwork? What are medical records, and what should I know about them?

Part 16 If Treatment Fails… 203

92 How do I decide if it's time to stop treatment?

93 What is hospice? Does it differ from palliative care?

94 What can I do to prepare for my death?

95 What are advance directives?

Part 17 Risk Reduction, E-cigarettes, Screening, and Advocacy 213

96 How can the risk factors of lung cancer be reduced?

97 What are e-cigarettes? Do they cause lung cancer?

98 Is there a screening test for lung cancer? Should my loved ones be screened?

99 Does lung cancer run in families? Is my family at increased risk for lung cancer because I have lung cancer?

100 Why has there been so little progress in fighting lung cancer? What can I do to help?

Appendix A Where Can I Find More Information? 223

Appendix B Ask Your Doctor Checklist 241

Appendix C Staging Criteria for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer 245

Glossary 249

Index 265