A federal judge certified a class-action lawsuit today that demands Philip Morris USA Inc. pay for chest scans to diagnose whether heavy Marlboro smokers have early signs of lung cancer, a ruling that a lawyer for the plaintiffs called the first of its kind in the country. Almost two years after lawyers for two named plaintiffs sought class certification, US District Court Judge Nancy Gertner granted the request and said she would let the case to ... Jump to full article >>

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Researchers may have found an easy way to detect lung cancer in its early or even pre-cancerous stages, as well as a way to reverse the start of the deadly disease with a readily available, over-the-counter drug. “It’s incredibly, incredibly exciting,” said Dr. Patrick Nana-Sinkam, a lung cancer expert with the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, who was not involved with the new study. “This definitely has ... Jump to full article >>

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Lawrence Garfinkel, the statistician who overcame his lack of a doctoral degree and training in oncology to become one of the driving forces in demonstrating that smoking causes lung cancer, died Jan. 21 in Seattle. He was 88. The cause of death was cardiovascular disease, according to his son Martin. Garfinkel oversaw the training of thousands of volunteers for the American Cancer Society and helped conduct two of the largest epidemiological stu ... Jump to full article >>

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Electronic cigarettes, widely used as an antismoking supplement, might cause lung cancer, allergies and mental instability if overused, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said yesterday. The products, often called e-cigarettes, are shaped like normal cigarettes but run on batteries and capsules of nicotine, although less than the average amount found in ordinary cigarettes. When one inhales on the product, a nicotine solution is vaporized in ... Jump to full article >>

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Of the 250 toxic chemicals found in secondhand (or “passive”) smoke, at least 50 are known to cause cancer. The Surgeon General says there’s no safe level of secondhand smoke and, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency, secondhand smoke causes an estimated 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths among nonsmokers in the U.S. each year. Fortunately, most states now have strict laws about smoki ... Jump to full article >>

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Not only does cigarette smoke cause lung cancer, it worsens the disease by increasing lung inflammation, U.S. researchers have found. The team at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine conducted tests on mice with early lung cancer lesions and found that those repeatedly exposed to tobacco smoke developed larger tumors — and developed tumors more quickly — than those that weren’t exposed to tobacco smoke. Lung tissue inf ... Jump to full article >>

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