Iodine Usage in Lung Cancer Treatment

If you have a tumor in either of your lungs or you have the bad habit of smoking often or if you have suffered from tuberculosis then chances are ripe that you will suffer from lung cancer. While doctors suggest that surgically removing the tumor from the lungs is the best way to guarantee a cure, it is quite difficult to go through with the process if the tumor is too large. That is when they heed to other forms of treatment. Since most of us are aware of the benefits of iodine, it is used to treat lung cancer.

lung cancer treatmentWhy Iodine?

Iodine has been effective in treating problems with the lungs like asthma and to disperse the fluid that accumulates around the lungs. Thus it has been concluded that iodine is good for lungs. Hence supplements of this mineral are used to treat the tumor in the lungs.

How is Iodine used for Treatment?

  • Other than surgery, doctors trust radiation when it comes to removing tumors. You may know that all types of tumors are not malignant. Thus doctors prefer using ionizing radiation in high energy form to kill the cancer cells to eradicate the risk of cancer spreading to various parts of the body. This helps to keep the tumor in control.
  • Iodine is used in its highly radioactive form during the radiation. This helps to shrink the tumor considerably and to kill any malignant cancer cells that the tumor may have. This way it is easier for the doctors to operate on you in case they have to remove the tumor surgically.
  • Using Iodine radiation is therefore not a full and final method, but a step before the surgery. It can be seen as an aid to the final step.

Things to Remember

We all know what iodine deficiency can cause. It leads to goiter, hypothyroidism, muscle cramps, depression, accumulation of fluid around your lungs and fatigue. Once you start using iodine, you will be able to see some positive effects very soon. Thus the use of iodine in a different form to cure lung cancer does not come as a surprise.

However, since this radiation method is a preventive procedure, you need to consult your doctor and mention any physical condition that you may have before signing up for the iodine radiation treatment. Be sure to run tests on yourself before going the full length because iodine when mixed with warafin and lithium can have ill effects on your body.

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