What is Lung Cancer Treatment?
Lung Cancer:
What is Lung Cancer Treatment?
Treatment may include Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy. New treatments, that specifically target lung cancer are becoming available.Treatment for lung cancer depends on the cancer’s specific cell type, how far it has spread, and the patient’s performance status.
Images:
CT scan and often positron emission tomography are used to determine whether the disease is localized and amenable to surgery or whether it has spread to the point where it cannot be cured surgically.
1. Despite complete surgical removal, a large proportion of patients with early stage cancer have recurrence of cancer and die from it.
2. Cure rates for small peripheral cancers are around 80%.
3. A technique called cryosurgery is sometimes used for NSCLC. In cryosurgery, the tumor is frozen, which destroys it. This treatment is mainly for relief of fatigue.
4. A portion of a lobe, a full lobe, or an entire lung may be removed. The extent of removal depends on the size of the tumor, its location, and how far it has spread.
5. People who have NSCLC that has not spread can tolerate surgery provided they have adequate lung function.
Radiation pneumonitis most commonly occurs between 1 and 6 months after completing radiation therapy. The risk of developing this complication depends on the dose of radiation used and the amount of tissue treated. It is more common if chemotherapy is given at the same time as radiation therapy, and is more likely to occur if you have other lung diseases, such as COPD.
Surgery is usually only an option in non small cell lung carcinoma limited to one lung, up to stage IIIA. This is assessed with medical imaging. A sufficient preoperative respiratory reserve must be present to allow adequate lung function after the tissue is removed.
Chemotherapy:
Since cancer cells divide more frequently than most cells, they are particularly susceptible to these drugs. Some normal cells also divide continuously, such as hair follicles, the stomach lining, and the bone marrow that makes red and white blood cells. This accounts for many of the side effects experienced during chemotherapy, such as hair loss, nausea, and low blood cell counts. Different chemotherapy medications work at different stages of cell division.
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