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Cancer Information Tips :: Lung Cancer Treatments
Lung Cancer Treatments: Common Treatments for Lung Cancer
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Lung cancer treatments typically depend on the cell type of the cancer itself, how far the lung cancer has spread and the patient's current performance status. The most common treatments used to fight lung cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
To learn more about each of these three treatment types, keep reading.
Surgery
If the lung cancer is localized and determined to be restricted to a particular area, then surgery is a definite treatment option. Blood tests and lung function testing are used to determine whether surgery is an option and the patient is strong enough to be operated on.
On average, surgical lung cancer treatments have a potential death rate of about 4.4%, this depends on both the patient's lung strength and function as well as other factors. The surgery typically involves removing the isolated tumor or affected lobes or lung.
Chemotherapy
Small amounts of lung cell carcinoma are typically treated with radiation and chemotherapy as surgery will have little to no effect on the patient's survival rate. The type of chemotherapy and the combination of treatments will depend on the type of tumor.
With chemotherapy, lung cancer patients need to be prepared for side effects like nausea, fatigue and temporary hair loss.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is often given to patients in conjunction with chemotherapy. It is considered to be a curative treatment, meaning it may destroy the cancer cells completely – making it an effective treatment course for those patients not eligible for surgery treatment.
Progress is being made to make radiation therapy more targeted, particularly with lung cancer patients. However, many patients will experience side effects such as skin irritation, possible bleeding lungs and general fatigue. Hair loss can also occur on the treated hair, like the chest or back.
Other Treatments and Therapies
Recently, molecular targeted drug therapies have become more effective in treating advanced cases of lung cancer. Drugs like Gefitinib, which targets certain cancer cells, is one type of drug and while it does not increase survival, many patients see an improvement in their symptoms and cancer advancement.
Another drug, known as Erlotinib, inhibits the tyrosine kinase and has been shown to increase survival amongst certain lung cancer patients. The drug is approved by the FDA for treatment of small and non-small lung cell carcinoma. The drug works best with Asians, females, non-smokers and patients with a bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.
Drug-based lung cancer treatments are improving every day and show increasing promise for effective treatments with low mortality rates and limited side effects like those associated with radiation, surgery or chemotherapy.
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CancerInfoTips.com :: Lung Cancer Treatments