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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : July 14, 2014 9:52 AM IST
Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who was recently diagnosed with lungs cancer, has been recovering quickly, his personal doctor said Sunday. There has been immense improvement in his health following five rounds of radiotherapy in the period of last eight days, Xinhua reported. "Recent x-ray inspection showed that the spot in his lungs has decreased by large," Koirala's personal physician Kabirnath Yogi told Xinhua over phone. (Read: Coming soon a breathalyser which 'sniffs out' lung cancer!)
After Koirala went through the final round of radiotherapy conducted Wednesday last week, the fever and common cold has gone down remarkably while improvement has also been seen in his respiratory process. Yogi claimed that after carrying out several tests and inspections, Koirala is almost free from the cancer. Koirala, 75, is in the US since June 16 for treatment after a suspicious black spot was seen in one of his lungs in a CT-scan test conducted in Kathmandu. (Read: The latest advances in cancer treatments)
The prime minister, who is unmarried, is still undergoing treatment at New York-based Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre since more than two weeks. According to Koirala's family members, he will be kept in New York for one more week so as to prevent any infections and other complications. (Read: Nepal PM Koirala diagnosed with lung cancer)
What is lung cancer?
Lung cancer refers to uncontrolled cellular growth in the lung tissues. These lumps and tumours interfere with the normal functioning of the lungs, stopping it from performing its primary duty of providing oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. Lung cancer, considered one of the most deadly forms of the disease, causes close to 1.4 million deaths per year, according to a World Health Organization estimate. The two main types of this cancer are small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).
Tobacco smoking, both active and passive, is the foremost reason for development of lung cancer. According to a new study, smoking ultra-long or long cigarettes can put you at greater risk of lung cancer. Heavy exposure to asbestos, radon, uranium, arsenic, genetic predisposition, and lung scarring from any prior illness can all cause lung cancer. Due to environmental pollution, lung cancer is increasing rapidly among Indian women in the 45 to 55 age group. Fine particulate matter in the air that lodges itself in the lungs causes harm over time, and damage starts early.
Cough, haemoptysis (coughing up blood), wheezing, shortness of breath, weight loss and chest pains are some of the common symptoms. But these symptoms usually show up in the advanced stage, often making the treatment ineffective. Scientists are now developing a breathalyser device that can detect lung cancer in early stages. Lung cancer may be diagnosed on chest X-rays and CT scans. Biopsy confirms the diagnosis. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, either alone or in combination. Some of the latest advances in treatment are experimental drug called MK-3475, combination of drugs in targeted therapy against lung adenocarcinomas and therapeutic vaccine.
With inputs from IANS
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