Hi everyone - thank you for your patience - NOW my Book ” Lung Cancer Survivors” can bebought directly from the printers and delivered to your door.Buy it from this link:

Buy copy of Lung Cancer Survivor Book Here


Have you ever wanted to read first hand accounts from people who have undergone surgery for lung cancers?Well,12 of my patients wrote their stories - years after the surgery,to tell it how it was - many had chemotherapy and radiotherapy first,and some alternative medicine.

Apart from their stories I have added a chapter on how to prevent lung cancer - actually it is science based information on taking supplements to give you the greatest opportunity to be healthy and avoid cancer if you have been a smoker.As you know no one can guarantee that one won’t get cancer,but there are strategies we can use to improve our health and minimise the risk - this is what I talk about.

As well,there are links to my main website,which is shortly to be upgraded,as well as to my forum which I hope will be like a mini cancer support group for those who are looking for one.

All the best and best of health,Dr Peter Cole.

Dr Cole here.

One of the biggest risks to cleaning up bush fire areas is with loose asbestos and asbestos fibers.

If one remembers that asbestos is first and foremost an insulating material,it has been widely used in the older houses under eaves,and wall panelling of the house as well as sheds of various types.

This asbestos is not dangerous if it is untouched because the fibers never become dust in the air - but the minute the sheets are broken,fibers are produced which blow around as dust and land in soil and on burnt remains of buildings and thus act as a serious risk.

This risk is not only for the owner of the house but obviously to the clean up teams.They have to wear protective clothing and follow guidelines for occupational and health safety to safely clear and dispose of this dangerous loose asbestos fiber.

Knowing this makes one aware of the dangers and therefore be very careful.During the fires,the heat makes all the sheeting expand and fly into the air and break up,being spread widely,so a whole area can quickly be covered in it.

Safety guidelines for working with asbestos can be got from:

catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3357605

to

www.lungcancer.au.com/Blog/audio/Cancer.mp3

From The Times
November 5, 2007

Genetic map that links cancer to DNA could

lead to new therapies

Mark Henderson, Science Editor
The first map to chart the genetic changes that underlie lung cancer has been assembled by scientists, promising insights that could lead to new treatments for the world’s leading cause of cancer deaths.
The study in the US has identified 57 variations in the genetic code – missing, duplicated or mutated DNA – that are commonly found in human lung tumours. Some of these changes, only 15 of which had previously been linked to the disease, could become targets for drug therapy.
The map has already helped scientists to identify a gene known as NKX2-1, not previously associated with any form of cancer, which appears to be significant in a large number of lung tumours.
“This view of the lung cancer genome is unprecedented, both in its breadth and depth,” said Matthew Meyerson, of the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led the study. “It lays an essential foundation, and has already pinpointed an important gene that controls the growth of lung cells. This information offers crucial inroads to the biology of lung cancer and will help shape new strategies for cancer diagnosis and therapy.”

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Cancers occur because of genetic damage to ordinary cells, which cause them to divide unchecked. In 90 per cent of lung cancers, this damage is begun by smoking, but a person’s underlying genetic profile is also important and those who have never smoked can also get the disease.
The nature of the genetic changes that take place in cancer is critical to understanding the biology of the disease and to choosing the right therapeutic approach for individuals.
If it can be determined that a mutation in a particular gene is driving a patient’s cancer, drugs that target that gene can be selected for that individual. The same principle is already used in some cancer drugs, such as Herceptin for breast cancers, in which the Her2 gene is involved.
Professor Eric Lander, a founder director of the Broad Institute and a leading member of the research team, said: “The genomic landscape of lung cancer gives us a systematic picture of this terrible disease, confirming things we know, but also pointing us to many missing pieces of the puzzle.
“More broadly, the study represents a general approach that can and should be used to analyse all types of cancer. Indeed, the study was designed as a pilot project for an even more comprehensive effort to unearth the genetic causes of cancer.”
The research, from the Tumour Sequencing Project, published in the journal Nature, used gene chip technology to scan tumour samples from more than 500 lung cancer patients.

The biggest killer
1.3m new cases of lung cancer worldwide each year
22% of cancer deaths in Britain are from lung cancer
6% of all deaths in Britain are from lung cancer
1 person dies of lung cancer every 15 minutes in Britain
90% of lung cancer cases occur because of damage to cells caused by smoking
Sources: Broad Institute, Cancer Research UK