Lung Cancer

Coughing Up Blood
Coughing up blood is what it sounds like-when you cough up blood, expelling it from the throat, lungs, or any other part of the respiratory tract. The medical term for coughing up blood is hemoptysis. The seriousness of the condition depends on th  More »
HLCMS

Cough
A cough is a common reflex action that aims to clear the throat of mucus or foreign irritants. Coughing to clear the throat is typically an infrequent action, although there are a number of other conditions that can cause more frequent bouts of co  More »
HLCMS

Weight Loss
It is important to maintain a healthy weight as you age. Excess weight combined with the strain of aging can make you more susceptible to illness and can shorten your life. However, changes in metabolism and the difficulty of eliminating poor habi  More »
HLCMS

General Weakness
Weakness is the feeling of body fatigue (tiredness). A person experiencing weakness may not be able to move that part of their body properly or they may experience tremors (uncontrollable movement or twitches) in the area of weakness. Some pe  More »
HLCMS

Chest Pain
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chest pain is one of the most common reasons that people ages 15 and older visit the emergency room. In 2008, about nine percent of all ER visits were related to chest pain. (More »
HLCMS

Smoking
Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation or to relieve stress . A smoking habit is a physical addictio...  More »
HLCMS

History and Physical Exam
The health status of populations and of individuals is assessed for many reasons. Assessing needs for care helps guide the allocation of resources— diagnostic assessments guide treatment, prognostic assessments contribute to planning, and assessin...  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health

Biopsy of Lung
Lung biopsy is a medical procedure performed to obtain a small piece of lung tissue for examination under a microscope. Biopsy examinations are usually performed by pathologists, who are doctors with special training in tissue abnormalities and ot...  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine

Bronchoscopy
A bronchoscopy is a test that allows doctors to examine your airways. An instrument called a bronchoscope is threaded through your nose and down your throat to reach your lungs. The bronchoscope has a light source and a viewing device. The broncho  More »
HLCMS

CT of Chest
A computed tomography (CT) scan of your chest is a fast and noninvasive imaging test that takes multiple cross-section images of your heart, lungs, and chest wall. While the test uses the same ionizing radiation as in a chest X-ray, a chest CT pro  More »
HLCMS

Chest CT with Contrast
Computed tomography (CT) of the chest is performed to diagnose a variety of symptoms, including vascular, cardiac, airway disease as well as cancers that can occur in the thoracic region of the body.  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health

Surgical Removal of Tumor
Tumor removal is a surgical procedure to remove an abnormal growth.  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine

Pneumonectomy
Pneumonectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of a lung.  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Surgery

Partial Removal of Lung
A lobectomy is the removal of a lobe, or section, of the lung.  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Surgery

Lobectomy
A lobectomy is the removal of a lobe of one of the organs, usually referring to the brain, the lung, or the liver.  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the systemic (whole body) treatment of cancer with anticancer drugs.  More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer

Pemetrexed
PEMETREXED (PEM e TREX ed) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine affects cells that are rapidly growing, such as cancer cells and cells in your mouth and stomach. It is usually used to treat lung cancers like non-small cell lung cancer and mesothe...  More »
GOLD

Coriolus
Protein-bound polysaccharide (PSK) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) since the Ming Dynasty of China. In the 1980s, the Japanese government approved the use of PSK for treating several types of cancers. By 1984, it ranked 19th on...  More »
NaturalStandard

Cisplatin
CISPLATIN (SIS pla tin) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like bladder, ovarian, and testicular cancers.  More »
GOLD

Hydroxocobalamin
Vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble vitamin that is commonly found in a variety of foods such as fish, shellfish, meat, and dairy products. Vitamin B12 is frequently used in combination with other B vitamins in a vitamin B complex formulatio...  More »
NaturalStandard

Carboplatin
CARBOPLATIN (KAR boe pla tin) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to treat ovarian cancer and many other cancers.  More »
GOLD

Acupuncture
The practice of acupuncture originated in China 5,000 years ago. Today it is widely used throughout the world and is one of the main pillars of Chinese medicine. There are many different varieties of the practice of acupuncture, both in the Orient...  More »
NaturalStandard

Imagery
Visualization involves the controlled use of mental images for therapeutic purposes. It has been proposed that the use of imagery in visualization may correct unhealthy attitudes or views. People who practice this mind-body technique call on memor...  More »
NaturalStandard

Meditation
Various forms of meditation have been practiced for thousands of years throughout the world, with many techniques originating in Eastern religious practices. In modern times, numerous meditation types are in use, often outside of their original re...  More »
NaturalStandard

Yoga
Yoga is an ancient system of relaxation, exercise, and healing with origins in Indian philosophy. Early descriptions of yoga are written in Sanskrit, the classical literary language of India. The first known work is "The Yoga Sutras," written more...  More »
NaturalStandard

Massage
Various forms of therapeutic superficial tissue manipulation have been practiced for thousands of years across cultures. Chinese use of massage dates to 1600 BC, and Hippocrates made reference to the importance of physicians being experienced with...  More »
NaturalStandard

Metastatic Cancer
The ability to invade and metastasize are the defining characteristics of a cancer. Invasion refers to the ability of cancer cells to penetrate through the membranes that separate them from healthy tissues and blood vessels. Metastasis can refer e...  More »
HLCMS

Pleural Effusion
Pleural effusion, also called "water on the lung," is an excessive buildup of fluids between your lungs and chest cavity. There is always a small amount of liquid on the outside of your lungs. This fluid works to coat the membranes that line the  More »
HLCMS

Smoking Cessation
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 70 percent of individuals who smoke cigarettes would like to quit.  More »
HLCMS