Treatment of Lung Cancer

Like all the cancers lung cancer can be treated with chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. The treatment depends on the size of tumor and its stages. In case the tumor is localized then surgery is better option.

Chemotherapy can be done along with surgery. Even in case the cancer spreads outside the chest area. Radiation therapy is done mostly for patients whose cancer cannot be corrected through surgery. In such cases the cancer had metastasized to other body parts. It is used in combination with other therapies and treated to the patients. The treatment is suggested especially to those who cannot bear or undergo surgery. Once the treatment is completed trials are conducted to see ways to keep the tumors in reduction.

In case of non-small cell cancer, surgery is the most common treatment. While performing, the surgery the physician will remove the lymph nodes and will see that they have the cancer cells or not. In case if the cancer has spread to lymph nodes then clinical trials are available in such cases. In these combined treatment of chemotherapy with surgery is given to control the cancer in better way. Lobectomy and pneumonectomy are the surgical options.

Photo-dynamic therapy is the latest form of treatment. This treatment is used in case of tumors in the central airways that can get reoccurred after surgery. The laser light is targeted at the cancerous growth which in turn activates the chemical which has been introduced in the blood and is absorbed by the cancer cells. The chemical destroys the cancerous cells.

Radiofrequency ablation is now being used as it is non-toxic and is comparatively pain less. It shows best results when combined with chemotherapy. It is done by inserting a very small heated probe inside the tumor and it burns the tumor cells. They are then disposed out of the body.

Apart from this various other treatment are done with people who have lung cancer. It has been seen that patients with lung cancer show reduction in the lung function. Opioids can be used in large doses so as to help them person for smooth breathing.