Sometimes a lung tumor contains more than one type of cancerous cell. So the treatment should be based on the type of lung cancer, the size, location and extent of the tumor and the general health of the patient. There are many treatments, which may be used alone or in combination. The most widely used therapies for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy and radiation are very effective at relieving symptoms.
Surgery
An operation for lung cancer is major surgery. Depending on the type and stage of the cancer, surgery may be used to remove the tumor and some of the lung tissue around it. Removing only a small part of a lobe (section) of the lung is called a wedge resection. If a entire lobe of the lung is removed, the surgery is called a lobectomy. If the entire lung is removed, the surgery is called a pneumonectomy.
Surgery is of two types aggressive surgery and palliative procedures.
Aggressive surgery (long-term control) : Aggressive surgery involves removal of the pleura, the lung, the diaphragm and the pericardium through a procedure known as extra pleural pneumonectomy. This surgery is highly complicated and carries a high risk of fatality within a month. Extra pleural pneumonectomy is therefore performed only on younger patients who are in good health and can tolerate the surgery.
Palliative Procedures (relief of symptoms) : Palliative procedures are performed when the cancer is in its advanced form. These procedures are performed to allay or control the symptoms rather than cure them. Pleurectomy (also decortications) is the surgical removal of the pleura. This reduces the pain caused by the tumor mass and may also prevent the recurrence of pleural effusion (fluid collection that causes breathlessness).
Video-assisted chest surgery is a new kind of surgery done for people with early stage lung cancer. A tiny camera can be placed through a small hole in the chest to help the surgeon see the tumor. Only small incisions are needed and it is most often used for tumors smaller than about 2 inches.
Side Effects : The side effects of surgery are pain, weakness, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Most have problems moving around, coughing, and breathing deeply. Other possible problems include bleeding, wound infections, and pneumonia. The recovery period can be several weeks or even months.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment using anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells throughout the body. The drugs can be swallowed in pill form or can be injected directly into a vein or by means of a catheter, a thin tube that is placed into a large vein and remains there as long as it is needed. These drugs enter the bloodstream and reach throughout the body, making this treatment useful for cancer that has spread (metastasized) to organs beyond the lung. The amount of chemotherapy a patient receives depends on the type of cancer, the drugs, and the patient’s overall response to treatment. Therapy may be given daily, weekly, or monthly, and can continue for months or even years.
Side Effects : Drugs used in chemotherapy can damage some normal cells, causing side effects. These side effects depend on the type of drugs used, the amount given, and the length of treatment. The possible side effects are nausea and vomiting, hair loss, fatigue or shortness of breath caused by low red blood cell counts, loss of appetite, diarrhea or constipation, mouth sores, bruising or bleeding caused by a shortage of blood platelets, higher risk of infection caused by a shortage of white blood cells. Most side effects disappear when your course of treatment ends. Some drugs will damage the nerves and this may cause numbness in the fingers and toes, and sometimes the arms and legs may feel weak.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy alias radiotherapy is the treatment using a beam of high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. It may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor, or after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain in the treated area. The radiation may come from outside the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed into or next to the tumor (internal radiation). External type of radiation is most often used to treat a primary lung cancer or its metastases to other organs.
Radiation is mainly for patients who are not healthy enough to have surgery. For others, it might be used after surgery to kill small areas of cancer that can't be seen and removed during surgery. It can also be used to relieve symptoms such as pain, bleeding, trouble swallowing, or problems caused by the cancer spreading to the brain.
Brachytherapy uses a small pellet of radioactive material placed directly into the cancer or into the airway next to the cancer. This is usually done through a bronchoscope.
A special kind of radiation (called the gamma knife) can be used instead of surgery if the cancer spreads to the brain in only one spot. In this method, several beams of radiation are focused on the tumor over the span of a few minutes to hours. The head is held in place with a stiff frame.
Side Effects : The side effects of radiation include vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, mild skin problems and tiredness. Chest radiation may cause lung damage and trouble breathing or swallowing. Side effects of radiation therapy to the brain usually become most serious after 1 or 2 years. They could include memory loss, headaches, trouble with thinking, and less sexual desire.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapies use medications or antibodies used to block growth factors that allow some tumors to grow. These drugs taken in the form of pills attack special parts of cancer cells and leave most normal cells alone. Not all lung cancers respond to these drugs.
Side Effects : These drugs seems to cause few side effects than chemotherapy and it include diarrhea, rash, eye problems, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and feeling tired.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
This laser therapy using a special chemical which is injected into the bloodstream, leaves normal cells but remains in cancer cells for a longer time. A laser light aimed at the cancer activates the chemical, which then kills the cancer cells that have absorbed it. PDT is used to treat very small tumors in patients for whom the usual treatments for lung cancer are not appropriate. It is also used to control bleeding or to relieve breathing problems due to blocked airways when the cancer cannot be removed through surgery.
After Treatment
Follow-up care after treatment for lung cancer is very important. Regular checkups should be performed so that any recurrence can be identified as early as possible. Checkups may include physical exams, chest x-rays, or lab tests. A person who has undergone surgery should be checked every 3-4 months for the first 2 years and every 6-12 months thereafter.
Lung cancer remains a highly preventable disease because 85% of lung cancers occur in smokers or former smokers. The best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit smoking. Lung cancer takes many years to develop. But changes in the lung can begin almost as soon as a person is exposed to cancer-causing substances.
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Surgery
An operation for lung cancer is major surgery. Depending on the type and stage of the cancer, surgery may be used to remove the tumor and some of the lung tissue around it. Removing only a small part of a lobe (section) of the lung is called a wedge resection. If a entire lobe of the lung is removed, the surgery is called a lobectomy. If the entire lung is removed, the surgery is called a pneumonectomy.
Surgery is of two types aggressive surgery and palliative procedures.
Aggressive surgery (long-term control) : Aggressive surgery involves removal of the pleura, the lung, the diaphragm and the pericardium through a procedure known as extra pleural pneumonectomy. This surgery is highly complicated and carries a high risk of fatality within a month. Extra pleural pneumonectomy is therefore performed only on younger patients who are in good health and can tolerate the surgery.
Palliative Procedures (relief of symptoms) : Palliative procedures are performed when the cancer is in its advanced form. These procedures are performed to allay or control the symptoms rather than cure them. Pleurectomy (also decortications) is the surgical removal of the pleura. This reduces the pain caused by the tumor mass and may also prevent the recurrence of pleural effusion (fluid collection that causes breathlessness).
Video-assisted chest surgery is a new kind of surgery done for people with early stage lung cancer. A tiny camera can be placed through a small hole in the chest to help the surgeon see the tumor. Only small incisions are needed and it is most often used for tumors smaller than about 2 inches.
Side Effects : The side effects of surgery are pain, weakness, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Most have problems moving around, coughing, and breathing deeply. Other possible problems include bleeding, wound infections, and pneumonia. The recovery period can be several weeks or even months.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment using anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells throughout the body. The drugs can be swallowed in pill form or can be injected directly into a vein or by means of a catheter, a thin tube that is placed into a large vein and remains there as long as it is needed. These drugs enter the bloodstream and reach throughout the body, making this treatment useful for cancer that has spread (metastasized) to organs beyond the lung. The amount of chemotherapy a patient receives depends on the type of cancer, the drugs, and the patient’s overall response to treatment. Therapy may be given daily, weekly, or monthly, and can continue for months or even years.
Side Effects : Drugs used in chemotherapy can damage some normal cells, causing side effects. These side effects depend on the type of drugs used, the amount given, and the length of treatment. The possible side effects are nausea and vomiting, hair loss, fatigue or shortness of breath caused by low red blood cell counts, loss of appetite, diarrhea or constipation, mouth sores, bruising or bleeding caused by a shortage of blood platelets, higher risk of infection caused by a shortage of white blood cells. Most side effects disappear when your course of treatment ends. Some drugs will damage the nerves and this may cause numbness in the fingers and toes, and sometimes the arms and legs may feel weak.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy alias radiotherapy is the treatment using a beam of high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. It may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor, or after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain in the treated area. The radiation may come from outside the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed into or next to the tumor (internal radiation). External type of radiation is most often used to treat a primary lung cancer or its metastases to other organs.
Radiation is mainly for patients who are not healthy enough to have surgery. For others, it might be used after surgery to kill small areas of cancer that can't be seen and removed during surgery. It can also be used to relieve symptoms such as pain, bleeding, trouble swallowing, or problems caused by the cancer spreading to the brain.
Brachytherapy uses a small pellet of radioactive material placed directly into the cancer or into the airway next to the cancer. This is usually done through a bronchoscope.
A special kind of radiation (called the gamma knife) can be used instead of surgery if the cancer spreads to the brain in only one spot. In this method, several beams of radiation are focused on the tumor over the span of a few minutes to hours. The head is held in place with a stiff frame.
Side Effects : The side effects of radiation include vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, mild skin problems and tiredness. Chest radiation may cause lung damage and trouble breathing or swallowing. Side effects of radiation therapy to the brain usually become most serious after 1 or 2 years. They could include memory loss, headaches, trouble with thinking, and less sexual desire.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapies use medications or antibodies used to block growth factors that allow some tumors to grow. These drugs taken in the form of pills attack special parts of cancer cells and leave most normal cells alone. Not all lung cancers respond to these drugs.
Side Effects : These drugs seems to cause few side effects than chemotherapy and it include diarrhea, rash, eye problems, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and feeling tired.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
This laser therapy using a special chemical which is injected into the bloodstream, leaves normal cells but remains in cancer cells for a longer time. A laser light aimed at the cancer activates the chemical, which then kills the cancer cells that have absorbed it. PDT is used to treat very small tumors in patients for whom the usual treatments for lung cancer are not appropriate. It is also used to control bleeding or to relieve breathing problems due to blocked airways when the cancer cannot be removed through surgery.
After Treatment
Follow-up care after treatment for lung cancer is very important. Regular checkups should be performed so that any recurrence can be identified as early as possible. Checkups may include physical exams, chest x-rays, or lab tests. A person who has undergone surgery should be checked every 3-4 months for the first 2 years and every 6-12 months thereafter.
Lung cancer remains a highly preventable disease because 85% of lung cancers occur in smokers or former smokers. The best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit smoking. Lung cancer takes many years to develop. But changes in the lung can begin almost as soon as a person is exposed to cancer-causing substances.
Tags: Lung Cancer treatment, Lung Cancer alternative treatment, Lung Cancer among woman, Lung Cancer among men, Lung Cancer symptoms in woman, Lung Cancer symptoms in men, Lung Cancer survival rate, Lung Cancer death rates, Lung Cancer death statistics, Lung Cancer description, Lung Cancer duration, Lung Cancer diet treatment, Lung Cancer final stages, Lung Cancer first symptoms, Lung Cancer foundation, Lung Cancer foods to avoid, Lung Cancer centers, Lung Cancer ct scan, Lung Cancer end stage
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