Lung Cancer Treatment Options

Lung cancer treatments depend primarily on the form of lung cancer being treated. In general, there are two types of lung cancer, small cell and non-small cell. Lung cancer treatment protocols for these cancers differ dramatically. Small cell lung cancer, because there's often a good chance the cancer has spread, is often treated using chemotherapy. Surgery in this case is generally ineffective because the cancer is no longer localized. Non small cell lung cancer, on the other hand, can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, depending on the extent of the cancer.

To determine the presence of lung cancer and the form it's taken, your physician may use a variety of tools, including everything from a biopsy to X-rays, CT scans (computer assisted tomography) and MRIs (Magnetic resonance imaging). The goal is to determine whether there a cancer is present, what form it's taken if it is present, what stage it's in, and if it's metastasized, to what extent. This is the information your physician will need in order to develop a lung cancer treatment plan. The earlier a cancer is caught, the better the chances of a successful treatment.

Generally, lung cancer treatments fall into one of three categories, or a combination of these ...

Chemotherapy - treatment with drug combinations to annihilate the cancer cells.

Radiation therapy - treatment by focusing high-energy rays on the cancerous cells to kill them.

Surgery - treatment by removing the part of the affected lung to eradicate the cancer.

Chemotherapy
This form of lung cancer treatment administers a combination of drugs to the patient either intravenously or orally. These medicines enter into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body with the goal of destroying the cancerous cells that have metastasized to other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy can be performed alone as a primary treatment or as combination with surgery. Although chemotherapy kills the cancerous cells, it kills normal cells as well. Therefore, care should be taken by your doctor to minimize any potential side effects. The occurrence of side effects depends upon the length of treatment and the level of drugs administered. Nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, loss of hair or loss of appetite are the most common side effects of chemotherapy.

Radiation Therapy (Radiotherapy)
Radiation therapy is also a fairly common lung cancer treatment. High-energy radiation is used to destroy the cancer cells. External beam radiation and Brachytherapy are the two major radiation therapies. External beam radiation is generally used when the health of the lung cancer sufferer is too fragile to withstand surgery. Brachytherapy is used to relieve the blockage of large airways that has occurred as a result of the cancer.

Surgery
Surgery may be a last resort for the treatment of lung cancer. Under general anesthesia, a surgical incision in the chest cavity allows the surgeon to remove the cancer tissue that is clearly visible. In this form of cancer treatment, complications can include wound infections, pneumonia and excessive bleeding. The patient's activity is generally limited for 2-3 months afterwards, since the surgeon accessed the lung through an incision in the ribs.

Recently, an invasive procedure referred to as video-assisted thoracic surgery has been useful in treating patients surgically without open surgery, which eliminates many of the usual complications. A tumor smaller than 4 to 5 cm can be treated using this method, which surgeons use to operate through 2 to 4 tiny openings between the ribs while viewing the patient's internal organs on a television monitor. Each opening is less that one inch in diameter.

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