Treatment of lung cancer
Lung cancer treatment depends from various factors such as the type of lung cancer, location and is there metastasis, and if so how far are they. Sometimes a complete cure is possible through surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or a combination of these in some patients. In other cases, where a full cure is not possible the main aim is becoming to maximize length of life and it’s quality. This type of treatment is also known as palliative care.
There are a number of treatments available for lung cancer, and most of them can have serious side-effects so it's very essential to discuss with your doctor who’ll describe pros and cons of each method and will advise you which one is more suitable for you.
Treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC )
The treatment options for NSCLC include the following.
- Surgery - if the cancer has no metastasis in that case an area of lung or sometimes the whole lung may be removed, depending on the type, size and site of the tumor. Complete cure is possible only using surgery.
- Chemotherapy and radiotherapy - Sometimes it’s not possible to remove all parts of tumor with surgery. In such cases, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy are choices which might be used to shrink the tumor and to destroy any remnants of the cancer to prevent it spreading further. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also being used prior to surgery, as it’s proven that effect is much more favorable. Lung cancer can give metastasis to the brain. That’s why radiotherapy may be performed to the brain for reducing the risk of such metastasis. This is called prophylactic radiotherapy.
- Drug treatments such as erlotinib (Tarceva) may help to reduce tumor’s speed of growth. Erlotinib is sometimes is being used for treatment people whose cancer has come back after initial treatment, or has not responded to at least one course of chemotherapy.
Treatment for small-cell lung cancer
Usually surgery is not an option for treatment SCLC, unless in some rare cases when the cancer is found on very early stage.The reason is that this type of lung cancer often spreads quickly to other parts of the body and only after it usually being diagnosed as the early stage is asymptomatic. The best treatment option is considered to be the chemotherapy. Chemotherapy will prolong the length of life and symptoms will be better controlled. If the cancer has not spread far, you may have chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time.
Palliative care for lung cancer
Care for dealing with the symptoms of lung cancer such as pain, breathing problems and weight-loss may also be available for people with lung cancer. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and steroids may be used to reduce pressure from the tumor on the airways, blood vessels, or cancer in the bones. Drug treatments are also available to help improve other symptoms of lung cancer such as pain, coughing, nausea and vomiting, and poor appetite.
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