Conservative political talk show host rush Limbaugh is starting treatment today for
lung cancer, he announced
yesterday during his show that
he has an advanced form of the
disease. For statistically.
The 5 year survival rate for lung cancer is 56% if it is just within the lungs.
It has already spread that
number collapses to just 5% but
right Now it is not clear how
advanced Limbaugh’s cases,
doctor Scott Ackerman with the
Ackerman cancer Center is
joining us this morning, good
morning. Thank you for being
more engine.
>> So how do you interpret what
advanced is because of course
he has millions of viewers in
our listeners in so many of
them, no doubt are concerned
how long it’s going to be will
continue to work in about
his health.
>> So advanced is not a very
specific term we don’t use the
word advanced a lot. So events
come in one of 2 things
when we talk about advanced
lung cancer, it could be
advanced within the chest.
We call that locally advanced
lung cancer. So the advanced
lung cancer still curable in
cancer. It was a treat with
chemotherapy released every
week to that little bit but
that means it it’s in the chest
and not metastasized
and to live there just consider
stage 2 or stage 3 cancers.
And what we call those locally
advanced. It’s because they’re
usually not amenable to
surgery. There’s also advanced
lung cancer that could be
spread to other parts of the
body. We refer to him in a
static lung cancer as advanced
lung cancer, and as you
mentioned earlier that blood
cancers to spread. They spread
to the liver with the bone with
the brain. So I
don’t know in Rush Limbaugh
skates with the word advance
really means. Well it’s it’s
going to interesting too
because just based on what he
and I know that you listened
also to you know his
announcement is about 7 minutes
long.
>> He said that he should know
more at the end of the week
that said I mean would it be
logical that if he
received the diagnosis last
month that he might actually be
starting maybe radiation or
chemotherapy at you know this
week, he said that he had
virtue no symptoms within
talked about heavy some
shortness of breath which is a
symptom we see the lung cancer
and then he was diagnosed in
January 20th and it’s as soon
as star treatment and he wants
to also continue working as
much as he can. So that says
that he’s received some sort of
outpatient treatment of some
sort it could be immunotherapy
it could be chemotherapy
even to the radiation
treatments and some is we’re
going to do it
each treatments. Every day on
lung cancer patients and and
typically based on symptoms ish
as you mentioned shortness of
breath is is one of them.
It is that typically then one
might assume that if you went
to the doctor for that maybe
you thought you were having
some kind of a heart condition.
So no doubt he would
be surprised to hear that it
could be something associated
with that his lungs. What
other symptoms. You know
usually you do use find when it
comes to lung cancer is so he
thought it was maybe as we’re
something is what he said
that’s waited heads at 0
symptoms, but typical symptoms
of lung cancer, many patients
don’t have any symptoms but
coughing up some blood. A cough
that doesn’t go away chest pain
that becomes worse on an
heavier deep breathing, even
some horses because lung cancer
when it goes the lymph nodes
come in and push into the
nerves. You some horses, some
patients have some weight loss
and loss of appetite.
Those are also related lung
cancer, the most common symptom
that patients have us coughing
up blood.
It’s interesting because he we
don’t know anything about you
know any family history.
That we were aware of publicly.
He has previously you know
talked about how much he enjoys
smoking cigars
when you look at what causes
lung cancer I could that be in
fact I think he’s
he’s been reported as saying
you know I to receive a medal
for smoking cigars, he really
does enjoy it.
>> Is that something that could
cause lung cancer is is
cigar-smoking sure cigarette
smoking and service smoking any
tobacco products cunning and
will increase your risk of lung
cancer. We’re seeing lung
cancer incidence and death
rates going down mainly because
of the of the decrease
prevalence of smoking. And
we’re seeing more lung cancers
now because of a coup in
non-smokers not because that’s
SA going up, but because the
percentage of patients
who have never smoked or is is
is higher and so yes,
the cigar-smoking could have
contributed to it perhaps
even inhaling second there a
second hand smoke could could
you it was lung cancer.
She next a part of it to
someone has a genetic
predisposition lung cancer.
There’s other risk factors such
as smoking. Could would put