Key Features

100 Questions & Answers About Lung Cancer
Karen Parles, Joan H. Sch

  ▪ Concise, easy-to-read paperback book.
  ▪ The question and answer format mimics an actual physician consultation.
  ▪ Provides both the patient’s and physician’s perspective on lung cancer.
  ▪ Written by an expert author team with extensive experience
  ▪ Provides practical answers to questions about treatment options, quality of life, care giving, sources of
    support, and much more.

Table of Contents

Part 1. The Basics
Questions 1–6 provide background information for understanding lung cancer, covering such topics as:
  ▪ What should I know about cancer cells?
  ▪ How do normal lungs function?
  ▪ Are there different types of lung cancer?
  ▪ What causes lung cancer?

Part 2. Diagnosis and Staging
Questions 7-17 describe the symptoms of lung cancer and discuss how lung cancer is diagnosed and staged:
  ▪ What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
  ▪ Which tests are performed to diagnose lung cancer?
  ▪ What are lymph nodes?
  ▪ What is staging, and why is it important?

Part 3. Coping with Your Diagnosis
Questions 18-30 address the medical, emotional, and practical aspects of coping with a lung cancer diagnosis:
  ▪ What is my prognosis? Can I survive lung cancer?
  ▪ Should I get a second opinion?
  ▪ How do I manage my emotions?
  ▪ What do caregivers need to know?
  ▪ What insurance and financial concerns do I need to address following a lung cancer diagnosis?

Part 4. Treatment
Questions 31-70 describe the types of treatments available for lung cancer (including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, clinical trials, and complementary and alternative therapies) and address the challenges of evaluation treatment options:
  ▪ What does my surgeon mean when she says she “got it all”?
  ▪ What are the treatment options for my type and stage of lung cancer?
  ▪ How do I learn about clinical trials?
  ▪ What should I know about complementary and alternative therapies?
  ▪ Are there particular considerations for treatment of elderly lung cancer patients?
  ▪ How do I decide on a treatment plan when I am faced with multiple options?
  ▪ What happens if my disease recurs?

Part 5. Coping with Symptoms, Side Effects and Complications
Questions 71-83 cover common symptoms, side effects, and complications of lung cancer and its treatment:
  ▪ What can I do for fatigue?
  ▪ What can I do to relieve my pain?
  ▪ What is pleural effusion and how is it managed?
  ▪ Will I lose my hair during chemotherapy or radiation?

Part 6. Living with Lung Cancer
Questions 84-91 are concerned with issues that arise from living with lung cancer:
  ▪ How should I change my diet following a lung cancer diagnosis?
  ▪ What should I know about stress and the immune system?
  ▪ What happens when my treatment ends?

Part 7: If Treatment Fails
Questions 92-95 address the difficult issues that arise when treatment fails:
  ▪ How do I decide when it’s time to stop treatment?
  ▪ What is hospice?

Part 8: Prevention, Screening and Advocacy
Questions 96-99 discuss prevention and chemoprevention, lung cancer screening and risk, and lung cancer advocacy:
  ▪ Can lung cancer be prevented? What is chemoprevention?
  ▪ Is there a screening test for lung cancer?
  ▪ Does lung cancer run in families?
  ▪ Why has there been so little progress in fighting lung cancer? What can I do to help?

Appendix
Question 100 is a list of Web sites, organizations, and literature to help lung cancer patients and their families find additional resources on general and specific topics related to lung cancer.

Glossary
Index