‘Lung Cancer Treatment’

Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Signs and symptoms of lung cancer are:
* A cough that does not go away and worsens over time
* Constant chest pain
* Cough with phlegm has blood
* Wheezing, hoarseness or shortness of breath
* Problems of pneumonia or bronchitis that are repeated
* Swelling of the neck and face
* Weight loss or loss of appetite
* Fatigue

These symptoms may be caused by cancer or other conditions. It is important to consult a doctor.

Non-small cell lung Cancer Treatment

Patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer can be treated in several ways. The choice of treatment depends mainly on the size, location and grade of tumor. Surgery is the most common way to treat this type of lung cancer. Cryosurgery, a treatment that freezes and destroys cancer tissue, can be used to control symptoms in stages (stages) of lung cancer last non-small cell. Radiation and chemotherapy can also be used to slow the progression of the disease and to control symptoms.

Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment
Lung cancer small cell spreads quickly. In many cases, cancer cells have already spread to other parts of the body when diagnosed. To reach cancer cells throughout the body, doctors almost always use chemotherapy. Treatment may also include radiation therapy to the tumor in the lung or tumors in other parts of the body (as in the brain). Some patients receive radiation therapy to the brain even when cancer is not there. This treatment, called prophylactic cranial irradiation was given to prevent tumors from forming in the brain. Surgery is part of the treatment plan for a small number of patients with lung cancer small cell.

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Lung Cancer Treatment

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Lung Cancer Treatment depends on a number of factors, including the type of lung cancer (small cell or small), the size, location and extent of the tumor, and the patient’s overall health. You can use many different treatments and combinations of treatments to control lung cancer or to improve the quality of life by reducing symptoms.

Surgery is an operation to remove the cancer. The type of surgery the doctor performs depends on the location of the tumor 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 called a lobectomy. Pneumonectomy is the removal of an entire lung. Some tumors are inoperable (can not be removed by surgery) because of the size or site, and some patients can not have surgery for other medical reasons.

Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Even after it has been removed lung cancer, 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 (intravenously) or through a catheter, a thin tube is placed into a large vein and remains there for as long as necessary. Some anticancer drugs are given as pills or tablets.

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Lung Cancer Screening

Friday, April 9th, 2010

If the diagnosis is cancer, your doctor will want to know the arena (stage or extent) of the disease. Staging was performed to determine whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body.

Lung Cancer Screening

Lung cancer often spreads to the brain or bones. Knowing the stage (stage) of the disease helps the doctor plan lung cancer treatment. Some of the tests used to determine whether the cancer has spread are:

CT scans or CT scan. A computer linked to an X-ray machine creates a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). A powerful magnet linked to a computer produces detailed pictures of areas inside the body.

Radionuclide studies. The scans with radionuclides (radioactive isotopes) can show whether cancer has spread to other organs including the liver. The patient swallows or receives an injection of a mildly radioactive substance. A machine (scanner) measures and records the level of radioactivity in certain organs to reveal abnormal areas.

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Monitoring After Lung Cancer Treatment

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Monitoring After Lung Cancer Treatment

When lung cancer has been controlled through treatment, starting a regular review process that has as main purpose to detect a possible relapse in time. In addition, this monitoring also appreciate the potential consequences of treatment and the patient is provided the necessary psychological support.

Each review will be questioned patients about their symptoms, perform a detailed physical examination and requesting analysis and x-ray examinations, ultrasound and so on. depending on the diagnostic possibilities of relapse or progression of cancer. As time passes are less likely to relapse and the reviews were spaced, but it is always advisable to make a year to control the appearance of new cancers, or in the lung or other organs.

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Chemotherapy as a Lung Cancer Treatment

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the primary treatment option in most cases of SCLC. It can easily control the symptoms, which are often very pronounced in this type of cancer. However, the cures are rare and most often accrue past year or two.

Not all patients can be operated on as it will depend on whether they have sufficient capacity to withstand respiratory excision of part or all of the lung and how is your general condition.

In lung cancer, often used a combination of chemotherapeutic drugs. Some of these drugs can be given by mouth or by vein. When they reach the bloodstream, these drugs are spread throughout the body and act against cancer cells, destroying them. For this reason it is very useful in those cancers that have spread to other areas.

Chemotherapy can be given as primary treatment or as therapy to aid surgery. In many cases, chemotherapy is given before surgery, with the intention of reducing the tumor volume and pave the way for a surgeon. Even at times, some inoperable lung cancers become operable after several months of chemotherapy. It is also possible to receive chemotherapy after surgery, even when the entire tumor was removed successfully. The reason is that with this strategy avoids a percentage of relapse and end up healing more long-term patients. We know this kind of cancer treatment as adjuvant chemotherapy.

The choice of treatment of first or second line depends on the type of cancer, and ranges from non-small cell cancer or small cell.

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