By Amanda Gardner
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- A panel of 15 genes may help determine which patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer will experience a recurrence and, therefore, benefit the most from chemotherapy, a new study shows.

The U.S. government-mandated switch to CFC-free inhalers is causing problems for millions of people with asthma and other lung diseases, according to The New York Times. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), used as propellants in the inhalers, damage the Earth's ozone layer.

As of Jan. 1, 2009, CFC inhalers will have to be replaced with inhalers that use propellants called HFAs (hydrofluoroalkanes). But HFA inhalers cost much more than CRC inhalers and the new and old inhalers differ in feel, force and taste, and in how they're primed and cleaned, the Times said.

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN
ABCNEWS

A newly published study links the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV, to lung cancer, adding lungs to the list of organs scientists say are susceptible to cancer as a result of contracting the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.

Recent studies have found connections between HPV and cancers of the mouth and throat, but the University of Louisville study released late last week is the first to associate the infection with lung cancer.

By Alan Mozes
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Although smoking is well-established as an independent risk factor for lung cancer, two new studies suggest that two different viral infections might boost a smoker's already substantial risk for developing the disease.

FRIDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- An immune-boosting treatment for lung cancer patients reduces the risk of cancer relapse after surgery to the same extent as chemotherapy but without the risk of unpleasant side effects, says a Phase II study by Belgian researchers.

AP

Women’s life expectancy declined significantly in 180 U.S. counties, mostly in the deep South and Appalachia, between 1983 and 1999, according to a study being released Tuesday.

Researchers blamed the decrease in women’s life expectancy on high blood pressure as well as chronic diseases related to smoking and obesity, such as lung cancer and diabetes.

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Granted Senator Obama "quit" smoking about a year ago (he admits falling off the wagon now and again), but this is still a very current health issue for him since he did smoke cigarettes for the majority of his life. I mean, the amount of fatty deposits in a carotid artery doesn't just go away when you quit smoking. It's there and poses a health risk for the rest of your life. And the risk of a stroke remains way higher than normal for up to 20 years after you quit smoking. (On top of this, African-Americans have a higher risk of stroke than Caucasians.)

By Dennis Thompson
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- You can't see, smell or taste radon.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have pinpointed an area on chromosome 15 that has three nicotine receptor genes that appear to increase the risk for lung cancer.

In October 2006, Dr. Claudia Henschke of Weill Cornell Medical College jolted the cancer world with a study saying that 80 percent of lung cancer deaths could be prevented through widespread use of CT scans.