Irritation of the lining tissues of the throat and airways trigger nerve cells that stimulate a cough response. Infections of the upper respiratory tract, from the nose through the upper airways, are frequent causes of dry cough. Dry cough may...
The esophagus is a muscular tube that is part of the digestive tract. The esophagus is responsible for carrying swallowed food from the mouth into the stomach. The muscular tube is made up of four distinct layers: the mucosa, the submucosa, the...
Marijuana is a drug that comes from the cannabis plant and contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that creates a euphoric high. While marijuana is not physically addicting, the brain becomes accustomed to the dopamine release provided...
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to MayoClinic.com. Your risk of contracting lung cancer is increased if you smoke or if you are exposed to secondhand smoke. Supplemental use of vitamin A or...
The esophagus is a 10-inch tube that brings food from the mouth to the stomach to be digested. The National Institute of Cancer reports that esophageal cancer is more common in men in the United States, with 13,000 new diagnoses in men each year,...
In 2009, over 200,000 people were diagnosed with lung cancer--a type of cancer that affects the delicate tissues of the lungs and airway passages, explains the National Cancer Institute (NCI). People who smoke are at the highest risk of developing...
The National Cancer Institute estimates that over 221,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in 2011 in the United States, and more than 156,000 individuals will die from the disease. While no cure for this cancer exists, there are...
The possibility of recurrence is something that breast cancer survivors do not want to think about. Yet, according to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 11 percent will suffer a recurrence within five years of the initial diagnosis and 20 percent...
In 2009, almost 25,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with a form of throat cancer, report health professionals with the National Cancer Institute. Throat cancer occurs when abnormal cells begin to grow along any region of the throat....
According to the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women, occurring mostly between the ages of 55 and 65. The two major types of lung cancer are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. It is caused by a variety of inherited and environmental influences. Treatment for cancer is dependent on the stage of...
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related deaths, according to The Merck Manuals, an online medical encyclopedia. This type of cancer occurs when cancerous cells form within the delicate tissues of the lungs. Patients who develop...
Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is a rare form of non-small lung cell cancer which accounts for approximately 2 to 9 percent of lung cancer lesions, according to the University of Michigan Health System. This form of lung cancer is most frequently...
The United States Environmental Protection Agency describes asbestos as a mineral fiber found in construction materials, automobile parts, fire retardant fabrics, gaskets, coating for commercial products and packaging material. As a highly toxic...
Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties can be frightening. They may be temporary or related to a chronic condition. Simple things, such as wearing constrictive clothing or exercise, can cause shortness of breath, but there are also very...
Asbestosis is a chronic condition caused by long-term inhalation and retention of asbestos fibers, which affect lung tissue, causing inflammation and a buildup of fibrous tissue. People with this condition are at high risk of certain types of...
Throat cancer can involve the throat, voice box or tonsils. While the exact cause of throat cancer is still unknown, the risk for this disease is higher in those who use tobacco, have a poor diet, consume large amounts or alcohol, have poor dental...
Chronic and persistent coughing can be difficult to diagnose as well as uncomfortable and inconvenient for the person with the cough. A cough can last from a few weeks to a few years and create problems with sleeping and incontinence, cause chest...
The thyroid, a two-part gland below the larynx, regulates the body's energy level. Thyroid cancer is rare, with slight increases in recent years, which may be due to new techniques that enable doctors to find small cancers that previously couldn't...
Breast cancer is a condition in which cells of the breast begin to divide more rapidly than they should. This is the result of genetic mutations and alterations that cause these cells to grow and develop the ability to spread to other organs....
Approximately one in 16 women in the United States develops lung cancer during her life, according to health experts with the National Lung Cancer Partnership. Lung cancer occurs when irregular cells grow rapidly within a woman's lung tissue. The...
Coughing is one of your body's defense mechanisms, aimed at clearing your airways of bothersome or damaging substances. A cough free of mucus, also called a dry cough, can become a productive cough, or one that brings up mucus, over time,...
Cancer is a potentially fatal medical condition in which the cells in the body grow at an extremely rapid rate. According to the Mayo Clinic, cancer symptoms include a fever, fatigue, weight changes, trouble swallowing, a persistent cough, changes...
Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer. Symptoms often include a persistent cough, weight loss, breathlessness and coughing up blood. If untreated it may spread to other parts of the body causing weakness, dizziness and...
Asbestos can remain in the lungs for many years, causing a range of diseases and breathing problems, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Once common in many industries, asbestos is a mineral made of small fibers that can be...
Lung cancer is often not diagnosed until it is too late to be cured. However, there are some signs and symptoms of lung cancer that can help doctors detect the disease early so that prompt treatment can be given. These signs and symptoms affect...
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in the United States, with MayoClinic.com reporting that the disease claims more lives than colon, prostate, ovarian, lymph and breast cancers combined. If you experience symptoms of lung...
Cancers of the throat and mouth are included in the general grouping of head and neck cancers. These cancers can arise in the tongue, lining of the mouth, gums, roof of the mouth, tonsils, salivary glands, throat and voice box. The National Cancer...
The Food and Drug Administration reports that lung cancer kills more Americans yearly than any other form of cancer, and that more women succumb to lung cancer than to breast cancer. Lung cancer develops when cells in the lung grow out of control,...
