Joe Paterno Lung Cancer

category: Disease Conditions,Health,Health News
by Jessica,

Joe Paterno Lung Cancer

Less than 10 days after being fired from a job he held for nearly 46 years, former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, 84, revealed recently that he has lung cancer. A statement delivered by son Scott Paterno said the cancer is treatable and doctors expect the coaching legend to make a full recovery.

According to Scott Paterno, his father’s doctor detected the cancer when Joe Paterno went for treatment of a bronchial illness.

The news came the same day the NCAA announced it will be investigating the school’s handling of the sex abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky that has rocked the Penn State campus in recent days. Pennsylvania officials and the US State Department of Education already launched their own investigations into whether the university violated state and federal laws requiring public institutions to report such crimes.

What is Cancer of the Lung?

Cancer of the lung, like all cancers, results from an abnormality in the body’s basic unit of life, the cell. Normally, the body maintains a system of checks and balances on cell growth so that cells divide to produce new cells only when needed. Disruption of this system of checks and balances on cell growth results in an uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells that eventually forms a mass known as a tumor.

Lung cancers can arise in any part of the lung, and 90%-95% of cancers of the lung are thought to arise from the epithelial, or lining cells of the larger and smaller airways (bronchi and bronchioles); for this reason, lung cancers are sometimes called bronchogenic carcinomas or bronchogenic cancers. Cancers can also arise from the pleura (the thin layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs), called mesotheliomas, or rarely from supporting tissues within the lungs, for example, blood vessels.

Lung Cancer Statistics

It is estimated that 221,130 men and women (115,060 men and 106,070 women) will be diagnosed with and 156,940 men and women will die of cancer of the lung and bronchus in 2011.

From 2004-2008, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the lung and bronchus was 71 years of age. Approximately 0.0% were diagnosed under age 20; 0.2% between 20 and 34; 1.6% between 35 and 44; 8.8% between 45 and 54; 20.9% between 55 and 64; 31.1% between 65 and 74; 29.0% between 75 and 84; and 8.3% 85+ years of age.

The age-adjusted incidence rate was 62.0 per 100,000 men and women per year.