Birth defects are structural changes present at birth that can affect almost any part or parts of the body (e.g., heart, brain, foot). Every 4 ½ minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect in the United States. That means nearly 120,000 babies (1 in every 33) are affected by birth defects each year. Birth defects can vary from mild to severe. They may affect how the body looks, works, or both. The well-being of each child affected with a birth defect depends mostly on which organ or body part is involved and how much it is affected. Depending on the severity of the defect and what body part is affected, the expected lifespan of a person with a

SOURCE: American Lung Association The diagnosis and treatment of non small cell lung cancer has changed dramatically in the past 50 years since the Surgeon General’s report on smoking and lung cancer. Early detection is now a reality for lung cancer. Early detection A large clinical trial called the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) found that spiral CT scans in people at high risk of lung cancer (due to smoking history) lower the risk of death from lung cancer, when compared to chest x-rays. This finding has led to the development of screening guidelines for lung cancer. Another approach now being studied uses newer, more sensitive tests to look for cancer cells in sputum samples. Researchers have found several changes