My grandmother has emphyzema, yet she still smokes. As bad as her lungs are how is it that she doesn't have lung cancer?
Respiratory Diseases - 8 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
not to scare you but that could be next my grandma had emphysema and a few years later was dx w/ lung cancer she died two years after that... but it is horrible she suffered so much .. and your grandma having emphysema should not be smoking try to help her stop my grandma was ridiculous about it she smoked while her oxygen was on and she caught her face on fire once... good luck talk to her and let her know how much you care
2 :
American cancer society has website with info section; just search ;ACS
3 :
Emphysema falls under the category of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This type is a permanent damage to the alveolus primarily because of smoking. The damage causes an abnormal oxygen - carbon dioxide exchange that results to air hunger and difficulty of breathing. Furthermore, air is entrapped in the alveolus adding up to the problem. She has to stop smoking for it is of great help to patients with such problems. Lung cancer may also develop in years which has been attributed also to chronic cigarette smoking but not all emphysematous patients develop lung cancer.
4 :
While smoking and lung cancer seem to always be linked in the media they don't necessarly go hand and hand. Not all patients that have emphyzema ( this disease falls into a class of diseases labelled Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD) will develop cancer. Also not all patients that smoke will develop COPD. It's generally assumed by the medical community that if you smoke and having breathing problems that you have COPD. If your grandmother has not been to a pulmonary specialist you should have her make an appointment in order to receive the proper testing (Pulmonary Function Test and x-rays) to determine that ishe truely has COPD and if she does what stage it is in. Knowing the stage (1-5) greatly determines the appropriate treatment and can greatly effect her quality of life. The disease is not reversable but not smoking will decrease further damage to the lung tissue. Try and get her into a pulmonary rehab program. They're great for teaching proper breathing techniques and developing an exercise program to help maintain her quality of life.
5 :
Well most people that acquire either one of them is usually a smoker. My father had both. First he had emphyzema, and had a hard time breathing with a cough. It developed into cancer. He had a cough with blood. Not everyone developes lung cancer, though. You have to have a recessive gene to develope cancer.
6 :
She just doesn't. You don't always get lung cancer from smoking. But, u will always end up with some sort of lung disease (emphysema) from smoking.
7 :
my grandma has emphyzema and never smoked a day in her life.she got it from second hand smoke.Yes this is bad,see if maybe she can get the patch.I work in a nursing home where one lady was on 10 liters of oxygen and still wanted to smoke.she's dead now!sad
8 :
Not every smoker will get lung cancer, and those who never smoked a day in their life will get lung cancer just as easy. In many cases, a person is born with the capacity for cancer, so they either will or will not develop it no matter what the circumstances surrounding it, like smoking leading to lung cancer. I treat people everyday who have emphysema and continue to smoke, and it's just sad. Please, encourage her to quit, you and your entire family, because it could save her life.
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