3 Lung Cancer Treatments

3 Lung Cancer Treatments

Staff Writer |Mar 24, 2020

Lung Cancer Treatment

Lung cancer starts in the lungs, but can spread to other regions of the body. While there is no single cure, there are different treatment options that can be used. In this article we will look at treatment options, as well as symptoms of lung cancer

Roughly 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer. While smoking can increase the likelihood of getting a diagnosis, non-smokers are not exempt from this condition. There are many different causes of lung cancer, and people of all ages can be diagnosed.

Unfortunately, there is no specific cure for lung cancer. Beating cancer is a little more complicated than taking a few pills or going to a doctor’s office. The disease is more serious and requires more intense intervention techniques.

Different Lung Cancer Treatment Options

Depending on the progression of the cancer and the patient's general health, a physician may recommend a number of treatment options. Know that with all treatment options, there is a risk of harsh side effects and a chance that the treatment does not work. Still, these are the best options when it comes to defeating lung cancer, with increased chances of success in cases of early detection.

Treatments can be used in combination with one another, or as a standalone option depending on the particular case.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy has been one of the most common treatment options for a long time. It works by using strong chemicals that target rapidly dividing cells. When introduced into your body, chemotherapy drugs will attack all rapidly diving cells. Unfortunately, these drugs cannot differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells that just happen to be dividing.

The side effects of such treatments can be unpleasant, but most reverse when the treatment ends, or can be reduced during the treatment. Common side effects include:

  • Nausea/vomiting
  • Hair loss
  • Mouth sores
  • Pain
  • Bowel disturbances (diarrhea/ constipation)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Bruising easily

Harsher and potential permanent side effects include:

  • Organ damage (heart, lung, kidneys)
  • Nerve damage
  • Infertility
  • Heightened risk of a second cancer

Side effects will also vary depending on the type of drug that is used in your treatment and the way you “take in” the drug. The most common chemotherapy drugs for lung cancer include the following:

  • Afatinib
  • Bevacizumab
  • Ceritinib
  • Crizotinib
  • Erlotinib

Chemotherapy for lung cancer can be done in the following ways:

  • Injected: Most often this is administered through infusions (IV) but can be given through shots.
  • Implanted: Thin wafers containing the drug can be inserted directly into the site of a tumor or surgery.
  • Pills: Pills and capsules containing the drug are sometimes available.

Radiation

Radiation is another treatment method. Radiation therapy uses beams of energy to damage cells in targeted regions in the body. The intense energy beams aim at precise locations in the body and damage the cells in that region.

While this, unfortunately, means that healthy cells will also be attacked, they are often able to “bounce back” from the damage where cancer cells will be killed.

As it is a targeted treatment, side effects are often limited to the region in which the treatment was applied. This means that patients can expect skin problems in the area of application as well as fatigue; these are mostly short-term side effects. Specific side effects characterized by treatments aimed at the chest include:

  • Breast soreness
  • Stiff shoulders
  • Difficulties swallowing
  • Respiratory problems
  • Radiation fibrosis (permanent lung scarring)

There is a low chance of developing long term side effects, such as the development of a second cancer, as an effect of radiation exposure.

Surgery

If the cancer is caught early enough, then it can be treated by removing the cancerous tissue at the initial site. The operation can only be successful if the cancer has not yet spread to other regions of the body.

The side effects of this treatment will depend on the depth of the removal, the nature of the removed tissue, and its size. For example, removing a tiny bit of the lung will not be as hard to recover from as removing a large piece.

Other Treatment Options

Other treatments are being developed that aim to keep the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation treatments without the harsh side effects. While some remain experimental, recently emerging treatments, such as immunotherapy, offer the potential to battle lung cancer.

Talk to a licensed care physician in order to get the most valuable recommendations on which cancer treatment is right for you. Everybody has a different experience and treatments are decided on a case-by-case basis.

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