Lung Cancer Treatment Options

Conditions & Diseases: Cancers

Treatment Options

Lung cancer treatment varies from patient to patient. The treatment approach depends on approximately five different factors such as: 1) the cancer type, 2) the cancer location, 3) the cancer stage, 4) the general health state of the patient, and 5) the patient’s age.

The treatment options for lung cancer include:

Surgery
Surgery is a common treatment option for lung cancer patients. The main goal of lung cancer surgery is to eliminate the tumor and cure the cancer.

There are three types of surgeries performed for lung cancer patients:

Segmental or wedge resection: This is a surgerical procedure where only a small section of the lung is removed. The advantage of the segmental resection is that the patient can breath normally shortly after the surgery.
Lobectomy: This is a procedure where the entire lung lobe is removed.
Pneumonectomy: This is a procedure where the entire lung is removed.

The medical decision for the type of surgery performed is based on two factors: 1) the tumor size, and 2) the tumor location.

Surgery can be the main treatment approach for lung cancer patients, and it focuses on removing the cancer and providing a cure. However, in some cases, surgery is used as a secondary treatment. This is possible because either the patient does not fit the criteria for surgery, or the tumor is too big or it’s location makes it difficult to be removed. In this situation, the patient first receives other types of treatment which shrink the tumor and once it reaches an acceptable size, is moved through surgery.

The side effects vary from patient to patient, according to the type of surgery performed. Severe side effects occur in patients that suffered from lobectomy and pneumonectomy, because the air and fluid tends to collect in the chest cavity. These patients need assistance to turn over, to cough, and to restart breathing deeply (possible only after a period of active recovery where the patients learn to expand the remaining lung tissue and to excrete the air and fluid excess).

Other common surgery side effects include:

Pain and weakness in the chest and arms.
Short breathing.
Lack of energy.
Lack of general strength.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment (affects cells throughout the entire body) that uses drugs either to stop the abnormal growth and dividing process of the leukemia cells, or to kill the leukemia cells. This treatment can be administrated as a single drug or as a drug combination through several forms:

1) Oral administration as pills

2) Intravenously

as a injection into the vein or

through a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) placed in the vein when the patient needs many IV treatments

Lung cancer patients receive chemotherapy 1) as a primary treatment, 2) in addition to surgery (as an adjuvant treatment - to enhance the results of the surgery by destroying possible cancerous cells that could have been left behind, and reducing the risk of cancer relapse) or radiation therapy, 3) before surgery (as a neoadjuvant treatment - to reduce the size of the tumor), or 4) as a palliative treatment (in more advanced stages of cancer to relieve symptoms).

Usually, chemotherapy is administrated in cycles where a treatment period is followed by a break period.

Like every medicated treatment, chemotherapy can cause side effects. The complexity and extent of the side effects depend on the drug used and its dosage. The most common side effects include:

Severe nausea with or without vomiting.
Temporary hair loss.
Fatigue.
Mouth and lips sores.
Diarrhea.
Loss of appetite.
Tiredness.
Weakness.

Radiotherapy or Radiation Therapy
Is a cancer treatment which uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancerous cells. Lung cancer patients receive radiotherapy 1) as a primary treatment, 2) in addition to surgery (as an adjuvant treatment - to enhance the results of the surgery by destroying possible cancerous cells that could have been left behind, and reducing the risk of cancer relapse) or chemotherapy, 3) before surgery (as a neoadjuvant treatment - to reduce the size of the tumor, or 4) as a palliative treatment (to relieve symptom like airways pain and blockages).

Radiation therapy is administrated in several forms:

Through an external beam technique where an external device, called a linear accelerator, generates high-energy rays which are directed on the tumor. This treatment is administrated in series of sessions. A new type of external beam therapy used as a lung cancer treatment is the three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy. This therapy is an advanced, high-precision radiotherapy which uses the digital diagnosis imaging, computers, and radiotherapy accelerator to destroy the tumor. The high dose radiation beam is designed to automatically change its shape and size to match the tumor by reducing the damage caused to the adjacent tissues and structures.

Through an internal beam technique. This treatment is called internal beam radiation therapy or brachytherapy. Lung cancer patients receive radioactive seeds which are implanted inside of the tumor. However, this type of treatment does not provide a cure, and only relieves symptoms.

Radiation therapy has a number of side effects. The side effects’ intensity depends mainly on the radiation dose and the number of radiation sessions needed. The most common radiotherapy side effects include:

Discomforting skin sensations (skin pain, red skin, itching and burning skin sensations, desquamation - the exterior layer of the skin sheds, and even atrophy - the skin tissues die).
Dry and sore throat.
Swallowing difficulties.
Fatigue.
Loss of appetite.

Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy is a type of laser therapy used only in clinical trials. It uses a special, toxin chemical which is injected into the bloodstream. This chemical is absorbed by the body’s cells. However, the toxin quickly leaves the normal, healthy cells, but remains for long time in the cancerous cells. A laser light is directed to the tumor and activates the chemical destroying the cancerous cells that absorbed it. This treatment is used to relieve symptoms like breathing problems and bleeding when the tumor cannot be removed, or to cure small tumors when the patient does not tolerate other cancer treatments.

Patients who receive photodynamic therapy experience skin and eye sensitivity to light for 6 weeks or more after the treatment, and are advised to avoid the sun light. Some of other photodynamic therapy side effects include:

Cough.
Swallowing difficulties.
Breathing discomfort (pain or short breathing).
Skin problems (the skin can get red or swell, and blisters can occur).

Article by Alina Morrow, MS
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com

Sources:

- The Journal of the American Medical Association, John L. Zeller, MD, PhD, Writer; Cassio Lynm, MA, Illustrator; Richard M. Glass, MD, Lung cancer, 2007
- National Cancer Institute, What You Need To Know About Lung Cancer, September 2002
- Healthfinder.gov, Laurie LaRusso, MS. ELS, Lung Cancer, Nov 2006
- American Lung Association, Facts About Lung Cancer, Nov 2006
- Office of Women's Health Take Time To Care, Lung Cancer, October 2003
- Radiology Info, Lung Cancer, July 2005
- Cancer Research UK, Lung Cancer Symptoms, September 2006