Lung cancer involves uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs, this causes a tumor. Tumors can be malignant or benign. Even with the possibility of a benign tumor, lung cancers still end up to be the most common killer cancer in the United States.
Recent records show that fourteen percent of all cancer cases in the country are lung cancer cases and twenty-eight percent of all death among cancer patients are lung cancer sufferers.
Common cause of lung cancer is breathing impure air such as polluted air, industrial chemical exposure and in great extent, cigarette smoking. Exposure to asbestos will likewise lead to Mesothelioma or cancer of the lining of the lungs.
Lung cancer treatment varies depending on the severity and stage of the cancer. If lung cancer is detected on its early stage, diagnosis will be easier and management of the cancer will be much more workable.
There are various means of diagnosing lung cancer such as bronchoscopy, needle aspiration, Thoracentesis and Thoracotomy. All of these intend to evaluate the severity of the cancer and possibly lung cancer treatment that will help halt or put the cancer into remission.
Truly, I said that lung cancer treatments intend to halt the lung cancer symptoms or put the disease into remission, entirely not cure. This is because as of date, no lung cancer treatment can promise a real cure to the disease, only a remission at the most.
Various lung cancer treatments include the following:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Radio immunotherapy
- Photodynamic therapy
Surgery
Surgery is a lung cancer treatment that will remove the cancer or the mass that abnormally grew in the lungs.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment that will cancerous cells with the use of anti-cancer drugs. Some doctors do chemotherapy even after surgery to destroy remnants of cancer cells. This is because if you do not the remaining cancer cells, it can still spread into the body and cause another round of mass growth in the lungs.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is another lung cancer treatment. Doctors use this to shrink tumor. Commonly, doctors perform radiation therapy before the surgery so that they can perform the surgery easier and the discomfort can be more manageable.
Additionally, many doctors opt to do chemotherapy and radiation therapy as primary lung cancer treatment instead of surgery. This is because it is less risky, than surgery.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy, this is another form of lung cancer treatment which builds up the immune system to help the body attack cancer cells. Immunotherapy can stimulate antibodies to help attack foreign cells like cancer cells.
Radio immunotherapy
Radio immunotherapy, this lung cancer treatment combines radiation therapy and immunotherapy. The antibodies stimulated by the immunotherapy process will bind cancer cells and then the radiation therapy will the cancer cells. This is often beneficial because this lung cancer treatment causes less damage to normal tissue and has lesser side effect than any other lung cancer treatments.
Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy is a lung cancer treatment that uses lasers to activate the chemicals in the cancer cells, activating the chemicals in the cancer cells will the cancer cells in the process.
Doctors perform these lung cancer treatments in the hope of halting the lung cancer symptoms and hopefully, put the cancer into remission. However, the possibility of another cancer cells developing inside the body may still happen if your body is not able to fight chemicals that can cause lung cancer.
It may be helpful to avoid cigarette smoke and breathing impure air. Additionally, a strong immune system coming from a healthy and active lifestyle will ensure you will not fall prey to lung cancer. Regular exercise, eating well balanced diet and taking vitamins can help strengthen your immune system to help you combat diseases including lung cancer.
