Effective treatment for lung cancer

photodynamic therapy

The treatments for lung cancer to be used for a patient are decided upon taking several factors into account. Some of these factors include the type of cancer (SCLC or NSCLC), the stage of the disease, the size and location of the cancerous tumor, the extent of metastasis (the degree to which the cancer has spread to other areas of the body), etc.

The overall health of the patient is another factor that is taken into account when looking into treatments for lung cancer.

The objective of most treatment choices is to eliminate the disease or if that is not possible, extend the span and quality of the patient's life as much as possible. Some of the treatment options include conventional surgery, radiation treatment, cryosurgery, chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (abbreviated PDT).

We will take a quick look at photodynamic therapy and radiation as possible treatments for lung cancer.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
In this type of treatment, a special substance that is capable of being absorbed by the body cells is used in conjunction with a laser. This substance is injected into the bloodstream which allows it to spread to the cells in the body.

The chemical used for lung cancer treatment has the property of removing itself from normal cells quite quickly while lingering on in cancerous lung cells. A special laser is focused onto the cancer cells - this laser activates the substance. The result is that the cancer cells are destroyed while normal cells are left relatively intact.

Photodynamic Therapy is very useful in cases where surgical removal of the cancer is not possible. PDT can help relieve short breath caused by blockages in the airways. It can also control internal bleeding. This is one of the treatments for lung cancer used to provide relief from the symptoms of the disease.

PDT is also useful when the tumors are very small or when the patient cannot undergo some of the other conventional treatments for lung cancer.

Radiation Therapy
High energy radiation can kill cancerous cells - that is the essence of radiation therapy. Radiation treatment involves focusing radiation onto a precise area that contains the cancer tumor. This results in the cancer cells being killed.

In many cases, radiation is used along with surgical interventions. Sometimes, even after surgery, the patient may still have some cancerous cells within his lungs. Radiation can then be used to eliminate those cells.

Radiation is also used to reduce the size of tumors prior to surgery. This makes surgery easier and possibly more effective.

Radiation and chemotherapy are often used together, particularly in cases where surgery is not possible. It is possible to reduce lung cancer symptoms like shortness of breath through radiation, which can shrink tumors and remove obstructive growths.

Radiation is generally applied using special machines. Some types of treatments for lung cancer make use of radiation from a device that is implanted within the body, at the site of the tumor. Such devices contain radioactive material. This material comes into contact with the tumor and destroys it.

Newer kinds of treatments for lung cancer are likely to become available in the coming years, as the continued research efforts aimed at curbing this disease yields results.

Five way to prevent lung cancer

prevent lung cancer

Here are the cold facts about lung cancer - it's hard to find early and difficult to treat. I have learned it is one of the more miserable cancers to suffer from. However, lung cancer is also one of the most preventable types of cancer. That is the good news! By avoiding certain risk factors for lung cancer, we can reduce our chances of developing it. This is the first step in lung cancer prevention.

 

1. Quit smoking - NOW

Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. It is estimated that 87% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. As soon as you quit, your body reaps the benefits of being tobacco free. Quitting smoking is the BEST defense against lung cancer. Need help kicking the habit? Visit About's Quit Smoking Site.

2. Listen to Mom, and eat those fruits and veggies!

Fruits and vegetables are rich with antioxidants and flavonoids. Antioxidants and flavonoids help protect your cell's DNA and repair damaged cells.

 

3. Have your home tested for radon.

Radon is the result of broken down uranium. It is a radioactive gas that cannot be seen, felt, smelled or tasted. Uranium occurs naturally in the soil, and the fear is that homes are being built over natural deposits, creating high levels of indoor radon exposure, which can lead to lung cancer.

 

4. Know what you are being exposed to in the workplace.

If you are exposed to fumes, dust, chemicals, etc in the workplace, you have a right to know what you are being exposed to. Gasoline, diesel exhaust, arsenic, beryllium. vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas, and chloromethyl ethers are all carcinogens and can be found in some work environments. Talk to your employer about limiting exposure.

 

5. Keep away from secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke is the smoke exhaled from a smoker or smoke from a lit cigarette, pipe, or cigar. This smoke contains over 60 known carcinogens (agents causing cancer). These carcinogens interrupt normal cell development. This interference of cell development is what starts the cancer process.

Cancer in the lining of the lung

Cancer in the lining of the lung

Lung Lining cancer is very different from a lung cancer. Lung Lining cancer occurs in an area of the body called the mesothelium, a thin membrane that covers many of the internal organs of the body. This thin membrane is comprised of two layers, one that surrounds the organ and another that forms an exterior sac around the first layer. Between the layers of the mesothelium is a fluid that allows vital organs to glide easily against objects that come in contact with them. The mesothelium of the lungs is called the Pleura. Lung Lining cancer is alos sometimes called mesothelioma after the area in which it occurs.

If the lung lining cancer near the pleura is localized (i.e. is only found in the mesothelium where it originated) than typically it is not fatal and can often be completely removed via a surgical procedure. Additionally, localized pleural mesothelioma may or may not be caused by asbestos exposure. However, if it has spread to other parts of the body, for instance the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs, then it is considered malignant and is more often than not the result of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos exposure is thought to be responsible for roughly 75% of all cases of lung lining cancer. Those who worked in "at risk" industries during or before the 1970s frequently ingested harmful asbestos fibers that penetrated deep within the layers of the lungs. The body is unable to dispel these fibers, which eventually cause an inflammatory condition in the lungs (asbestosis). This condition worsens and eventually becomes malignant.

A typical lung cancer grows as a single distinct mass which is generally anywhere from the size of a grape to the size of a baseball when discovered. Because most lung cancers grow as a solitary defined mass, sometimes they can be surgically removed and a follow up of chemotherapy or radiation treatment may succeed in removing the cancer all together.

In contrast, mesotheliomas grow on the lining of the lung (or the lining of the abdomen) as a diffuse multi-site tumor with masses being spread on a wide area of the pleura. Even when an individual undergoes surgery for removal of the entire pleura, the entire lung where the mesothelioma is located, and parts of the diaphragm, this almost never results in total removal of the cancer.

Lung lining cancer is usually diagnosed by x-rays and CT scans but may also be diagnosed by tissue biopsy, pleural tap, and fiberoptic examination. Its symptoms are: persistent cough, sputum streaked with blood, chest pain, recurring pneumonia or bronchitis.

Chemotherapy, radiation, or surgical treatment, when used independently, are often ineffective in treating cancers of the lung lining. Combined approaches that use these therapies together as well as new drugs that specifically target the genetic material in mesothelioma cells are currently being tested.

Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma cancer in the last 10 years has increased, to diagnose mesothelioma cancer is difficult, as the symptoms do not tend mesothelioma lung cancer include shortness of breath, chest pain, fever and other.


Asbestos was mesothelioma cancer and it develops in the lining of the lung (pleural). Mesothelioma cancer can also develop in the abdominal area (peritoneal) and abdominal asbestos cancer. Sometimes diagnosed earlier than the other two types of mesothelioma cancer.


Mesothelioma cancer is a type of cancer that attacks the lungs and chest cavity. Also known as asbestos lung cancer, it forms deadly tumors where mesothelial cancer cells form a protective lining over the lungs, heart, and abdominal organs.


Types of Mesothelioma Asbestos Cancer


Epithelial mesothelioma is a rare and fatal form of cancer affecting the membrane lining of the chest cavity, heart, lungs, and abdominal cavity. There are three forms of epithelial mesothelioma: the most common is Pleural Mesothelioma, the second most common, Peritoneal Mesothelioma (accounting for only a quarter of the cases), and the rarest form, pericardial mesothelioma.


Lung Lining cancer is not to be confused with lung cancer. Lung Lining cancer is also sometimes called mesothelioma after the area in which it occurs. Localized pleural mesothelioma is not always caused by asbestos exposure. Mesentery cancer is likened to peritoneal cancer (mesothelioma). Mesentery cancer includes all abdominal peritoneal extensions. Mesothelioma cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers or dust. Symptoms Mesothelioma is a very difficult cancer to detect in early stages. Stages and Diagnosis of Mesothelioma


Mesothelioma treatment programs are contingent upon many factors, including the stage of the cancer, the location of the cancer, the spread of mesothelioma cancer, the characteristics of the cancer cells under a microscope and the patient’s age and concerns.


When choosing a mesothelioma cancer treatment center, first the mesothelioma patient must decide if he or she wants to be treated at a cancer facility that specializes in treating mesothelioma cancer, or one that treats patients with a number of different kinds of cancer. Make sure you are comfortable with the facility, mesothelioma doctors, and mesothelioma treatment regimen you will be receiving at the cancer center you choose.

Non-modifiable risk factors for lung cancer

lung cancer

There are a number of non-modifiable risk factors (factors that cannot be controlled) for lung cancer. These risk factors include age, race, and sex (gender).

Age & Lung Cancer Risk

Lung cancer risk increases with age. During aging, the body's internal repair processes slow down and metabolism changes, resulting in a higher risk for cancer development (carcinogenesis). According to the American Cancer Society, the average age of people who have lung cancer is 60 years old. Lung cancer is uncommon in people under the age of 40. Most cases of lung cancer occur in people over 50 years of age.

Some experts suggest that lung cancer develops as the result of the accumulation of several genetic mutations, many of which may be caused by tobacco carcinogens. This collection of genetic mutations is affected by the age-related length of exposure to carcinogens, as well as each person's susceptibility and the intensity and variety of exposure(s).

Race & Lung Cancer Risk

In the United Stats, there are several variations in smoking habits among different races and ethnic groups. For example, more African American men than Caucasian men smoke, but they smoke fewer cigarettes per day on average. African American and Caucasian women have reported similar smoking rates.

Although menthol cigarettes are more widely used among African Americans, African Americans have higher lung cancer rates than Caucasians, even after findings have been adjusted for differences in smoking habits. Differences in socioeconomic backgrounds may account for some of the variations in lung cancer rates among African American and Caucasian populations within the United States (e.g., the highest rate of age-adjusted lung cancer incidence is found in African American citizens of New Orleans, many of whom belong to low socioeconomic groups).

In Japan, recent lung cancer incidence has risen eightfold in women and tenfold in men. Rates of lung cancer in central and eastern Europeans are higher than ever recorded. The causes for these increases are unknown, and it may be that genetic differences are the source of different lung cancer risk among various racial and ethnic groups.

Sex (Gender) & Lung Cancer Risk

In the United States, the higher incidence of lung cancer in men probably mirrors the higher rate of men who smoke as compared to women who smoke. Historically, men and women in the United States have differed in their cigarette smoking habits—including the frequency of smoking, age when starting to smoke, and patterns and intensity of smoking.

The highest reported female smoking rates occurred in the 1970s, although such figures did not equal smoking rates in men. Some studies have noted sex-specific differences in lung cancer rates even after adjustment for smoking. In addition, incidence of lung cancer in men who do not smoke are higher than in women nonsmokers. Other factors, such as sex-linked genetic susceptibility or sex hormones, may be responsible for some of the gender-related differences in lung cancer risk.

Lung cancer deaths reduced with low-dose spiral CT

CT scans reduce lung cancer mortality

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and worldwide, and researchers have found that early diagnosis can help to improve survival rates. But a usual technology for screening—the chest x-ray—isn't sensitive enough to detect small tumors in the lung. A new study reveals that there may be a better screening tool.

Low-dose helical computed tomography, sometimes called spiral or helical CT, has emerged as a more sophisticated tool for lung cancer screening. Helical CT creates a series of cross-sectional images that can give physicians a clearer look at the lungs. Helical CT can pick up tumors well under 1 centimeter (cm) in size, while chest x-rays detect tumors about 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 inches) in size.

To test the benefits of helical CT, researchers enrolled over 53,000 current and former smokers aged 55 to 74 in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). Each volunteer received three screenings over three years with either a standard chest x-ray or a helical CT.

The results showed that there were 20% fewer lung cancer deaths in the helical CT group than in the x-ray group. The findings were announced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a sponsor of the study. Because these results were so significant, it was recommended that the study be ended early. 

"This is the first time that we have seen clear evidence of a significant reduction in lung cancer mortality with a screening test in a randomized controlled trial," said Christine Berg, M.D., NLST project officer, in an NCI news release. "The fact that low-dose helical CT provides a decided benefit is a result that will have implications for the screening and management of lung cancer for many years to come."

Researchers are investigating whether there are risks of radiation exposure associated with repeat low-dose helical CT scans. It's important to note that low-dose helical CT delivers a much lower dose of radiation than a regular diagnostic CT scan. 

Despite these encouraging findings, researchers were quick to note that advanced screening isn't the best way to beat lung cancer. "[G]iven the high association between lung cancer and cigarette smoking, the trial investigators re-emphasize that the single best way to prevent lung cancer deaths is to never start smoking, and if already smoking, to quit permanently," said Denise Aberle, M.D., NLST national principal investigator.

To get information and assistance on smoking cessation, visit smokefree.gov or call the Smoking Quitline at 1.877.44U.QUIT (1.877.448.7848). NCI smoking cessation counselors can give help and provide answers to smoking-related questions in English or Spanish by phone Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time.

Source:National Cancer Institute (NCI); The National Lung Screening Trial: Overview and Study Design. Radiology 091808; Published online November 2, 2010, doi:10.1148/radiol.10091808