If any sign of lung cancer disturbs you, you should seek a specialist. If unfortunately, you are diagnosed with lung cancer, you should begin considering lung cancer treatment.
Lung cancer treatment options are many, involving lung cancer surgery, chemotherapy for lung cancer, and radiation therapy. Consequently, we cannot mention a standardized preparation process. Regarding lung cancer surgery, you should discontinue using a blood thinner for a couple of days before and fast for a few hours. Regarding radiation therapy and chemotherapy, there is no particular preparation. You should get your needed medical appointments done in advance for your radiation and chemotherapy because it may be not possible throughout these lung cancer treatments.
In the case of early-stage cancer or it is not much aggressive, specialists may effort to resect it completely, or in any case, it's the majority with lung cancer surgery. On the other hand, particularly in later-stage cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy may be combined. If specialists choose to use chemotherapy for lung cancer, an anti-cancer drug injection, or a pill will be given to the patient. In radiation therapy, radioactive substances in harmless doses will be given to destroy the cancer cells. Radiation may be external as beams, or internal by way of injection.
Lung cancer treatment recovery is a somewhat longer period. In the case of lung cancer surgery, the complete recovery may take weeks or in fact, months. As for chemotherapy and radiation therapy, some side effects might be involved in the long period of recovery. Recovery from radiation therapy lasts months, whereas chemotherapy can last years. On particular occasions, complete recovery from these lung cancer treatments may never happen. Nonetheless, the patient may live in better conditions with rehabilitation and medicines.
Treatment of lung cancer may carry some risks and complications regardless of receiving lung cancer surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Lung cancer surgery may lead to an unnecessary amount of bleeding, along with infections. Chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy may lead to severe damage to vital organs or bring, both real and phantom, pain.
In the same way, lung cancer treatment has some side effects. Specifically, chemotherapy mixed with radiotherapy. They are:
• Feeling of overall weakness, getting easily tired• Easy bruising and swelling of the body
• Chronic pain in several body parts
• Vomiting
On the other hand, it should be noted that the alternative to these lung cancer treatments is in the long run death, whereas these procedures provide an opportunity for healing or extending life.
Survival rates of lung cancer patients rely mainly upon the lung cancer stage. For early-stage lung cancer patients, the 5-year survival rate is as high as 55%. On the other hand, for late-stage lung cancer patients, the 5-year survival rate is only 5%.
After the treatment, the recovery period will be pretty long. Some side effects may never completely disappear, yet with appropriate medicines, you will have a better life.
Which Kind of Lung Cancer Treatment Should I Choose?
You should not choose your treatment by yourself. Your cancer specialist will assess the size, stage, and exact location of cancer and then will decide which type of treatment for lung cancer is suitable for you and –what’s most important – will bring good outcomes.
Why Cannot I Have Lung Cancer Surgery instead of Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy?
It means that your cancer has spread and it is not possible to simply cut it out.
The drug is used in Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer?
There are numerous kinds of drugs used in chemotherapy treatment. In order to learn the name of your drug, you should ask your cancer specialist.