What Are The Effective Lung Cancer Treatment and Related Risk Factors?

Lung cancer is one of the worst cancers and is known as killer disease. The treatment option of lung cancer is dependent on type of lung cancer; whether it is SCLC (small cell lung cancer) or NSCLC (Non-small cell lung cancer). In case of NSCLC, treatment depends on stage of the cancer. In case of SCLC, the stage is limited to two and in NSCLC, stages are assigned from I to IV. Besides these, patient’s general physical condition and age are other factors for consideration.

Common therapies of lung cancer include:

Surgery: If the lung cancer is in initial stages of I or II in case of NSCLC a surgical option is a choice. It is; however, expected that the disease has not spread to any other organs or to other parts of lungs. Surgical removal will not ensure 100% elimination of cancer, so chances of recurrence are not ruled out. Again, if the tumor is too close to the trachea, then surgery is not an option. In case of SCLC, surgical option is not a choice because tumors are not localized.

During surgery, either one lobe or portion of a lobe and in extreme cases removal of the total lung is done. In some cases lymph nodes in the lungs are also removed. Pain, bleeding, infection, acute shortness of breath and surgery related complications are common after surgery.

In a revolutionary breakthrough some London researchers have used radioactive seeds for lung cancer treatment which reduces the removal of excess tissue during surgeries. While it is true that when excess tissue is removed, the chance of cure increases and probability of recurrence decreases, but the drawback is that it affects quality of life. Radioactive seeds used for killing the cancerous cells are not more than the size of rice grain and are called brachytherapy seeds. However, it needs more established research for clinical level usage.

Radiation therapy: To kill the cancerous cells high energy x-rays can be used. In cases when surgery becomes impossible, radiation can be delivered. However, prior to radiation therapy, a process called simulation is necessary as it will map the exact location where the radiation needs to be targeted. Side effects include fatigue, increased clotting time and increased susceptibility to infection.

Laser Therapy: It uses high intensity light radiation to kill cancerous cells and is very effective for superficial cancer, in particular the NSCLC. The therapy can be used to destroy or reduce the size of the tumors blocking the trachea. The greatest advantage of laser therapy is that it causes less damage to the adjacent healthy tissues and people get healed faster and there is less likelihood of developing infection.

Chemotherapy: This involves administering drugs to limit the growth of cancerous cells by preventing further cell proliferation. It is recommended for both SCLC and NSCLC either alone or in combination with surgery or radiotherapy. Platinum-based drugs are most effective chemotherapy drugs and given as pills or injections. The side effects are in fact many as the drugs act on normal cells too and the manifestations of these side effects vary from one person to other.