Lung Cancer

Treatment

Radiation is mainly for patients who are not healthy enough to have surgery. For others, it might be used after surgery to kill small areas of cancer that can't be seen and removed during surgery. It can also be used to relieve symptoms such as pain, bleeding, trouble swallowing, or problems caused by the cancer spreading to the brain.

Brachytherapy uses a small pellet of radioactive material placed directly into the cancer or into the airway next to the cancer. This is usually done through a bronchoscope.

A special kind of radiation (called the gamma knife) can be used instead of surgery if the cancer spreads to the brain in only one spot. In this method, several beams of radiation are focused on the tumor over the span of a few minutes to hours. The head is held in place with a stiff frame.

Side Effects : The side effects of radiation include vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, mild skin problems and tiredness. Chest radiation may cause lung damage and trouble breathing or swallowing. Side effects of radiation therapy to the brain usually become most serious after 1 or 2 years. They could include memory loss, headaches, trouble with thinking, and less sexual desire.

Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapies use medications or antibodies used to block growth factors that allow some tumors to grow. These drugs taken in the form of pills attack special parts of cancer cells and leave most normal cells alone. Not all lung cancers respond to these drugs. 

Side Effects : These drugs seems to cause few side effects than chemotherapy and it include diarrhea, rash, eye problems, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and feeling tired. 

Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
This laser therapy using a special chemical which is injected into the bloodstream, leaves normal cells but remains in cancer cells for a longer time. A laser light aimed at the cancer activates the chemical, which then kills the cancer cells that have absorbed it. PDT is used to treat very small tumors in patients for whom the usual treatments for lung cancer are not appropriate. It is also used to control bleeding or to relieve breathing problems due to blocked airways when the cancer cannot be removed through surgery.

After Treatment
Follow-up care after treatment for lung cancer is very important. Regular checkups should be performed so that any recurrence can be identified as early as possible. Checkups may include physical exams, chest x-rays, or lab tests. A person who has undergone surgery should be checked every 3-4 months for the first 2 years and every 6-12 months thereafter.

Lung cancer remains a highly preventable disease because 85% of lung cancers occur in smokers or former smokers. The best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit smoking. Lung cancer takes many years to develop. But changes in the lung can begin almost as soon as a person is exposed to cancer-causing substances.