Lung Cancer Treatment Methods

Several types of lung cancer treatment methods are available. Lung cancer is the malignancy of cells in the lung and also in any part of the respiratory system.

According to the studies the majority of the lung cancer cases are caused due to smoking. Prevention is the better cure in case of lung cancer as this disease cannot be predicted in its early stages as it shows no symptoms.

Other risk factors which may increase the chances of developing the disease are the exposure to asbestos, radon and secondhand smoke. These are considered the risk factors which may lead to cause the lung cancer.

The standard lung cancer treatment methods include the surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy. The selection of the type of the lung cancer treatment method depends totally on the stage of the cancer, overall health condition of the patient and the type of this disease of course.

Lung Cancer Treatment with Surgery

This method of lung cancer treatment is considered to be the most effective treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancers (stages I and II). This method of surgery differs from patient to patient.

In people where the disease has affected the entire lung or single lobe the surgery is performed depending on it. The surgery to remove the entire lung is complex and should be handled by a specialist surgeon who is well experienced.

The different kinds of surgery need to be performed are the Wedge resection, the Lobectomy and the Pneumonectomy At most care is taken to study whether the patient can undergo any of this necessary surgery and make sure whether the patient will have enough remaining lung function after this surgery to live a fairly normal life.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-dose X-rays to kill cancer cells. The radiation therapy is often used in combination with surgery or chemotherapy or both in case of lung cancer treatment. Radiation following surgery for stages IIA, IIB, and IIIA (with lymph node involvement) may reduce the risk of cancer returning in the chest.

In what way the radiation need to be given to the patient totally depends on the type and stage of the lung cancer. It may be either given before, during or after chemotherapy. In all cases, however, the goal of treatment is to destroy cancer cells while harming as little normal tissue as possible.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the most affective kind of lung cancer treatment. Reason for this being that almost all the cases detected are in their advanced stages where surgery doesn’t serve the purpose of recovery or cure.

The small cell type of lung cancer spread beyond the lungs making it highly impossible for treating through surgery thus chemotherapy, either alone or in combination with radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy method of treatment uses drugs to kill the disease. In small cell type of lung cancer the chemotherapy is used to shrink the tumor. Non-small cell lung cancer stage IB, IIA, IIB, and IIIA have shown good survival improvements when chemotherapy administered after surgery. Also chemotherapy has proved to give better results in advances stages this type as well.

Lung Cancer Treatment with Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy is the other method of lung cancer treatment which uses medications or antibodies to block growth factors that allow some cancers to grow. Nowadays this method of treatment is used in treating the most advanced stages of lung cancer. (Alternative Lung Cancer Treatment)