Lung Cancer Treatment

It is alarming that the most common cause of death for both men and women throughout the world is lung cancer.

Predominantly, Lung cancer is usually a disease of the old people; it develop and progress slowly that almost 70% of population who are diagnosed with the disease are over 65 years and above. Less than 3% of lung carcinoma arises in people below 45 years of age

It is good to know that the incidence of lung cancer is beginning to decline on developing countries through public awareness about the harms of nicotine/cigarette smoking. Government bodies are exhausting every effort for effective smoking-cessation programs. A recent study point out that Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality U.S. surpassing breast cancer as the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women

Causes of Lung cancer includes:

Smoking - 90% of lung cancers develop as a result of tobacco/cigarette inhalation. The risk increases 10 fold with the number of cigarettes smoked over time. In US one in seven will die due to lung cancer.

A cigar typically contains over 4,000 chemical compounds such as nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which have been shown to be cancer-causing agent.

Passive smoking – is the inhalation of tobacco smoke by nonsmokers from a smoker in the approximate vicinity. Research shows that an estimated 3,000 deaths from lung cancer are experience each year in U.S. is due to 2nd hand smoke.

Asbestos fibers - Exposure to asbestos fibers in workplace is one of the common source in developing lung disease. Currently asbestos is banned in many countries, including the U.S. because of the high incident rate of mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos. Asbestos workers who smoke have a greater risk of developing the disease than nonsmokers.

Radon gas – is a natural byproduct of uranium. Radon gas is known to cause lung cancer, studies shows that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. each year. Concomitant smoking plus exposure to radon gas increases the risk of developing lung cancer.

Familial Tendencies - Individual genetic predisposition may play a role in the risk of having a lung cancer. Studies identified a small region of Dioxy ribonucleic acid (DNA) containing genes specifically on q arm of chromosome 15, code for proteins that interact with chemical compound nicotine appear to have an increased susceptibility to lung cancer in smokers.

Treatment:

Powerful combinations of traditional and innovative therapies are available to treat the disease. There are several types of treatment that can be used in conjunction with each other to obtain maximum benefit. The goal of treatment is to eradicate any tumor forming cells and to prevent metastases of cancer cells throughout the entire body.

Surgery is the most common treatment use to eliminate tumors in the lungs. However doctors may opt to use different kinds of surgery depending on the case and severity of the disease. Removal of Tumors in Lung cancer is only limited to earlier stage of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) provided that the cancer hasn’t spread beyond the lung. Although tumors can be excised, it is always not the case as some patients who have the disease may suffer from different serious condition such as severe heart illness that can only endanger the life of the patient who will undergo surgery.

The procedure entails the surgeon to open the chest cavity and may perform resection of part/lobe of the lung also known as lobectomy and removal of the entire lung known as pneumonectomy, depending on the location and the size of the tumor.

Surgeon may opt to remove nearby lymphnodes(lymphadenectomy) to prevent metastases to different parts of the body.

To make the treatment more powerful additional procedure is required in conjunction with surgery.

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing, proliferating on other areas of the body. Two types of radiation therapy can be done to a cancer patient, one is External radiation. It involves the use of a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer site. Before undergoing external radiation simulation using CT scan and precise measurement should be performed for accurate mapping of the tumors.

Second, Internal radiation also known as brachytherapy uses a radioactive implants sealed in needles, seeds, wires, pellets, balloons and tubes that are placed directly into or near the cancer lesion. Radiation therapy is given depending on the type, stage, and severity of the cancer being treated. If a person refuses surgery, radiation Therapy can be given.

Chemotherapy on the other hand consists of introducing drugs into the patient's bloodstream to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing or stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy can be best taken by mouth, injected into a vein or muscle. These drugs enter the bloodstream targeting the cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in specific areas and are called regional chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy is the treatment recommended for most Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) as this type of cancer is aggressive and is often diagnosed when the cancer already spread in the body. With chemotherapy the survival rate is increased up to four- to fivefold.

Other types of Treatment involve the use of drugs such as Erlotinib marketed as Tarceva and gefitinib also known as Iressa. These drugs can be used for patients who’s suffering from NSCLC,that is not responding to chemotherapy as these drugs target specific cancer cells resulting in less damage on Normal cells. Those drugs aimed to target a certain protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that is responsible in promoting cell division thereby blocking the receptors resulting to stopping the abnormal proliferation of cells.

Adjuvant Antiangiogenic drug bevacizumab (Avastin) also displays a positive effect on the treatment of Lung cancer in conjunction with chemotherapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one method to treat Lung cancer. It uses a drug called photosensitizer and a certain type of laser light to eliminate cancer cells. When photosensitizers are exposed to a specific wavelength of light, they produce a form of oxygen that kills nearby cells. Photodynamic therapy causes minimal damage to healthy tissue.

In early cases of lung cancer Radiofrequency ablation can be use as an alternative to surgery. This type of treatment uses a needle that will be inserted through the skin into the target cancer site, with the use of CT scan. Radiofrequency is then transmitted to the tip of the needle producing heat in the tissues, destroying the abnormal cells and closing small blood vessels that supply nutrition on the cancer. This procedure is usually not painful. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have approved this particular treatment of certain cancers, including lung cancers.

What to Know Before the Procedure

Cancer is an incredibly diverse and resilient disease and each case poses unique challenges to the patient and the oncologist. Each method of surgery and treatment has pros and cons and there is no one “right” combination of treatments. All forms of cancer treatment come with attached risks and side-effects, some of which can have long term implications on quality of life. In order to treat it effectively, it is vital to have candid conversations with your doctor about your medical history, other pre-existing conditions, your lifestyle, and your personal preferences to determine the best course of action.

What to Know After the Procedure

The suggested recovery practices and possible side-effects of cancer treatment vary wildly upon the type of treatment chosen. Your doctor will give you detailed instructions about how to follow through with recovery and ongoing treatment based upon your particular case. Follow these directions and contact your doctor if any questions or complications arise.

If you Need to Travel Outside of your Local Hospital

Cancer treatment is a prolonged, multiple session affair that requires constant communication between the patient and the doctor. This must be considered when determining where to have treatment performed. Ideally, you will want to work with the same doctor and the same team throughout the process to ensure complete understanding and consistency from beginning to end. At the same time, you also want to work with the most highly qualified team available to you. These factors should be the most heavily weighted when deciding whether/where you should travel to have your cancer treated.