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Understanding
Lung Cancer -- An Overview
Treatment
for Lung Cancer
Treatment
of lung cancer depends on a number of factors, including the
type of lung cancer (Non-Small Cell versus Small Cell Lung
Cancer), the stage of the disease, and the general health of
the patient. Treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy,
radiotherapy, or the combination of different treatment
methods have been used in the treatment of lung cancer.
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Surgery
is an operation to remove the cancer. Surgery is the
standard treatment for early stage cancers.
Physicians may choose to resect tumors up to stage III A.
The type of surgery a doctor performs depends on the
location of the cancer in the lung. An operation to
remove only a small part of the lung is called a segmental
or wedge resection. When the
surgeon removes an entire lobe of the lung, the procedure
is a lobectomy. Pneumonectomy
is the removal of an entire lung. Unfortunately, the
majority of tumors cannot be removed by surgery because of
the size or location, and some patients cannot have
surgery for other medical reasons.
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Chemotherapy
is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells
throughout the body. Even after cancer has been removed
from the lung, cancer cells may still be present in nearby
tissue or elsewhere in the body. Chemotherapy may be used
to control cancer growth or to relieve symptoms. Most
anticancer drugs are given by injection into a vein (IV);
some are given in the form of a pill. Another way to get
IV chemotherapy is by means of a catheter,
a thin tube that is placed into a large vein and remains
there as long as it is needed.
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Radiation
therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the
use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation
therapy is directed to a limited area and affects the
cancer cells only in that area. Radiation therapy may be
used before surgery to shrink a tumor, or after surgery to
destroy any cancer cells that remain in the treated area.
Doctors also use radiation therapy, often combined with
chemotherapy, as primary treatment instead of surgery.
Radiation therapy may also be used to relieve symptoms
such as shortness of breath. Radiation for the treatment
of lung cancer most often comes from a machine (external
radiation). The radiation can also come from an
implant (a small container of radioactive
material) placed directly into or near the tumor (internal
radiation).
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Photodynamic
therapy is the use of a special chemical that is
injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by cells. The
chemical rapidly leaves normal cells but remains in cancer
cells for a longer period of time. A laser
light is pointed at the cancer to activate the chemical
and kill the cancer cells that have absorbed it.
Photodynamic therapy is used for lung cancers that are
localized. It is also being studied for use in controlling
symptoms in advanced cases when tumors are pressing
against other organs, or when patients are too sick to
receive other therapies.
Clinical
trials (treatment studies) to evaluate new ways to
treat cancer are an option for many lung cancer patients. In
some studies, all patients receive the new treatment. In
others, doctors compare different therapies by giving the new
treatment to one group of patients and the usual (standard)
therapy to another group. Through research, doctors learn new,
more effective ways to treat cancer.
Treating
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Patients
with non-small cell lung cancer may be treated in several
ways. The choice of treatment depends mainly on the extent of
the disease. Surgery is the most common way to treat this type
of lung cancer. Cryosurgery, a
treatment that freezes and destroys cancer tissue, may be used
to control symptoms in the later stages of non-small cell lung
cancer. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy may also be used to
slow the progress of the disease and to manage symptoms.
Treating Small Cell Lung Cancer
Small cell
lung cancer are usually treated systemically by chemotherapy
because it spreads quickly. In many cases, cancer cells have
already spread to other parts of the body when the disease is
diagnosed. Treatment may also include radiation therapy aimed
at the tumor in the lung or tumors in other parts of the body
(such as in the brain). Some patients have radiation therapy
to the brain even though no cancer is found there. This
treatment, called prophylactic
cranial irradiation (PCI), is given to prevent tumors from
forming in the brain. Surgery is part of the treatment plan
for a small number of patients with small cell lung cancer.
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