Cancer Information

Archive for the ‘Treatments Of Lung Cancer’ Category

Continuing the series of nutrition for people with cancer today will present the recommended foods and tips that will allow the body maintain proper balance, body weight and energy needed for recovery.

Some of the foods recommended for people undergoing treatments for cancer are:

Protein: beef, chicken or fish cooked, boiled eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, soups. Bread, cereal, rice and pasta, breads and cereals without nuts, pasta, potatoes and rice.

Fruits and vegetables: bananas, citrus, melon, peeled apples and vegetables.

Beverages, desserts and other foods

* Beverages: mention the fruit juice, milk, smoothies, and tea.
* desserts you can eat cakes and cookies without nuts, jelly and ice cream.
* Other foods allowed, are butter, margarine, salad dressings, salt, pepper, herbs, spices and honey (to be integrated at the time of cooking), sugar, jam, jelly, mustard, chocolate and olives.

Essential when a person is under treatment for cancer is known in advance that will suffer some eating disorders (loss of appetite, altered taste and smell) and should work to overcome.

Smoking patients who receive a liver transplant have a higher incidence of smoking-related tumors (SRM, for its acronym in English), present in 13.5 percent of patients who died. This is demonstrated by an investigation conducted by the University Hospital of Navarra in Pamplona, ​​to be published this April in the journal Liver Transplantation. “

Although it is known that smoking is a risk factor for developing cancer in both the general population and in transplant recipients, smoking and taking immunosuppressants may be the main risk factor for the emergence of so-called transplant-related carcinomas.
However, the Spanish investigators did not demonstrate the existence of this association. Their study suggests most significant indicators continue to smoke after a transplant, as an indicator of increased risk, and quit after a transplant, a fact which reduces it.
According to the leader of this study, Ignacio Herrero, University Clinic of Navarra, “Smoking is associated with several of the most common causes of tumor after a transplant.”
“We investigated whether the risk of developing tumors were different in patients who stopped smoking than those who continued smoking after transplantation,” he explains, adding that, in this study, we examined the risk factors for developing after transplantation , lung, head and neck, esophagus, kidney and urinary tract.
The team analyzed a total of 339 patients who received their first liver transplant between April 1990 and December 2009 that showed a survival rate after surgery than three months. To do this used a
a protocol of ‘screening’ which took into account the risk of smoking-related malignancy in each patient.
Participants received cyclosporine-based immunosuppression tarcolimus. Risk factors for developing smoking-related cancers were also analyzed in 135 patients smoking. The objective was to determine if smoking cessation was associated with a lower risk of cancer.
Risk factors to develop SRM examined were age, sex, alcohol abuse before receiving the transplant, infection with hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma in the transplant as primary immunosuppression (cyclosporine or tacrolimus) The history of rejection requiring high dose steroids or antilymphocyte globulin in the first three months, the number of immunosuppressive drugs after three months and smoking history.
A second analysis of risk factors for the development of SRM was performed only in smokers, focusing on assets compared to patients with a history of prior smoking.
After 7.5 years of follow up, 26 patients were diagnosed with 29 tumors related to snuff. Rates after five and ten years were 5 percent and 13 percent respectively.
In a multivariate analysis, smoking and being older were associated independently with an increased risk of developing tumors. In the subgroup of smokers, the variables associated with an increased risk of tumors were recorded in patients who were still active smokers and those who were older.
“Quitting smoking after a liver transplant may have protective effects against the development of cancer,” concluded Dr. Smith, for whom intervention programs targeting against snuff, along with the programs ‘screening’ could help reduce cancer mortality rate of patients who received a liver transplant.

TREATMENTS OF LUNG CANCER

The prognosis and choice of treatment depend on the extent to which stage the cancer, tumor size or type of lung cancer.

The surgery involves removing the tumor and some tissue from the surrounding area and is often used in the early stages of the disease

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.

Radiation therapy using high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink the tumor. Read the rest of this entry »

Smoking increases from 10 to 25 times the risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer. This is by far the main risk factor.

Other factors may also play a role, such as:

* Secondhand smoke;
* Exposure to carcinogens (asbestos, radon, gasoline fumes, etc.).
* Smoke wood stove;
* Frequent exposure to air pollution;
* Have a diet low in fruits and vegetables.

Preventing

* Do not smoke or quit.
* Avoid secondhand smoke.
* Adopt an anticancer diet (more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, less red meats and sausages; avoid excess calories).
* In an area where radon levels are high, to analyze the air in his house to check the radon level.

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Lung cancer can be treated by various therapies that are often used in combination to provide optimal outcomes for patients. Surgical resection is the surgical process in which the tumor, and is usually recommended if the cancer has not metastasized (or spread) outside the lungs to other parts of the body.

There are several options for doing that may involve resection of minimally invasive surgery or full operation. The technique used will depend on many factors, especially the size and stage of cancer and tumors are accessible to a surgeon.

Thoracotomy performed by a surgeon makes an incision through the chest wall and the average sternotomy performed by entering the chest cavity through the sternum. The second method is usually used in surgery for lung cancer, but they simply involve the discomfort and prolonged patient stay in hospital with a recovery period longer.

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Overall, pleural tumors can not be removed surgically. It must treat the original cancer (primary). Depending on the type of primary cancer, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be appropriate.

Therapeutic thoracentesis may be performed if fluid accumulation is large and causing pressure, shortness of breath or other breathing problems (such as low oxygen levels). Removing the fluid may allow the lung to expand more and can ease breathing difficulties.

To prevent fluid from building up again, sometimes medication will be placed in the thoracic space through a tube or a surgeon can insert a scope through a small incision in the chest wall to remove fluid (thoracoscopy). Then a drug is sprayed or powder on the surface to prevent lung cancer cells produce more fluid in the future.

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In most cases, metastatic cancer to the lung is a sign that the cancer has spread into the bloodstream. Usually cancer will be present even in places not seen by CT scans. In these circumstances, removing the visible tumors by surgery usually is not much, so usually opt for chemotherapy.

Sometimes when the primary tumor has been removed and the cancer has spread to only limited areas of the lung, lung tumors can be removed with surgery. However, the primary tumor should be curable lung tumors must be completely removed and the patient should be strong enough to undergo surgery and recovery.

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Lung cancer diagnosis is made by radiological examinations: X-ray Computed Tomography and especially (or CAT scanner) Chest, and confirmed with a biopsy.

Only 15 to 20% of lung cancers are detected in its early stages because the symptoms are delayed. In many cases the diagnosis is usually incidental, that is, by medical evidence that you had another purpose. When diagnosed with lung cancer, additional tests are performed to evaluate different tumor stage (if the initial or advanced) as well as lung capacity and general condition.

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Mainly, there are three types of treatment and its use will depend on the type of lung cancer and the stage where you are.

If you are in an early stage can remove the tumor quirúrgicamente.Ahora if it has already spread is used to radiotherapy (high energy X rays) or a combination thereof and chemotherapy (drugs effective against cancer cells).

Treatment is essential because a patient with untreated lung cancer has an average survival of six months.

Side effects of lung cancer treatment depend on the type of treatment, and may be different for each person. Side effects are often only temporary. Doctors and nurses can explain possible side effects of treatment and they can suggest ways to help relieve symptoms that may occur during and after the treatment.

Surgery for lung cancer is a major operation. After lung surgery, air and fluid tend to collect in the chest. Patients often need help turning over, coughing and breathing deeply. These activities are important for recovery because they help to expand the remaining lung tissue and removal of excess air and fluid. Pain or weakness in the chest and arm and shortness of breath are common side effects of surgery for lung cancer. Patients may take several weeks or months to regain strength and energy.

Chemotherapy affects both normal and cancer cells. Side effects depend largely on the specific drug and dose (amount of drug administered). Common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea and vomiting, hair loss, mouth sores and fatigue.

Radiation therapy, like chemotherapy, affects normal cells as well as cancer cells. Side effects of radiation therapy depend mainly on the body part being treated and the dose of treatment. Common side effects of radiotherapy are dryness and irritation of the throat, difficulty swallowing food, fatigue, skin changes at the site of treatment and loss of appetite. Patients receiving radiation to the brain may have headaches, skin changes, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, hair loss or problems with memory processes and thoughts.

Photodynamic therapy makes the skin and eyes sensitive to light for 6 weeks or more after treatment. It is recommended that patients avoid direct sunlight and bright indoor light for 6 weeks at least. If patients need to go outside, they must wear protective clothing, including sunglasses. Other temporary side effects of photodynamic therapy may be coughing, difficulty swallowing food and painful breathing or shortness of breath. Patients should consult with your doctor what you should do if they are blisters on the skin or it gets red or swollen.

Today, because of what has been learned in clinical trials, physicians can control, reduce or avoid many of the side effects of treatment.