Is There a Lung Cancer Cure?

About 13 percent of all lung cancer is curable, which means that those diagnosed with it survive at least five years. Regardless, all patients with lung cancer may benefit from targeted treatments that can extend lifespan and improve quality of life.

Treatment options for a lung cancer cure depends on the type and stage of cancer. While non-small cell cancer at an early stage can find a cure with surgery alone, small cell cancer at a similar point may require a combination of chemotherapy and radiation and sometimes surgery, as well. In both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer, early stage indicates that the cancer is still localized and has not spread from where it comes from, and later means that the cancer has spread to other organs.

surgery has the potential to cure lung cancer, but only in the early stages in which the cancer has not spread outside the chest. Among the procedures employed to remove the cancer surgically: wedge resection, in which a small portion of the lung, including the tumor was removed, segmental resection, in which most of the lung is removed, lobectomy, in which the entire lobe of one lung was removed, a pneumonectomy, in which the whole lung is removed. However, these procedures are only possible if the patient can tolerate surgery and no additional complications, such as bronchitis or severe heart disease.

Many small-cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy, either alone or in combination with surgery. This therapy involves taking medicines that kill cells raka.Lijekovi can be taken orally as pills or intravenously through a vein in the arm, and includes multiple treatments over several weeks or months. Patients on chemotherapy should take a break from therapy occasionally to allow their bodies to recover. Although chemotherapy has side effects such as nausea, vomiting and hair loss, it definitely prolongs life and improves quality of life of patients with lung cancer.

Radiation therapy is similar to chemotherapy that targets and kills cancer cells. However, unlike chemotherapy, radiation therapy can work outside the body, using high-powered radiation such as X-rays to kill the disease. Another option is to use needles, seeds, or catheters into the body to channel energy in the vicinity of cancer cells. Sometimes used at the same time as chemotherapy.

Some medicines also exist in the market for the treatment or management of lung cancer. These products work by exploiting abnormalities in cancer cells.

less conventional path to treatment for lung cancer clinical trials. Patients can enroll in these studies and to receive experimental treatments, a good choice for those whose current treatment does not work or have limited treatment options. Every year, hundreds of lung cancer patients enroll in clinical trials, data collected by this survey method is used in the creation of new therapies and treatment of disease. Often, the goal of clinical trials is simply to determine the benefit of one treatment over another.

If all these treatments fail or are not available for treatment, the patient can opt for supportive care, rather than looking for a cure. Instead of harsh or experimental treatments, supportive care can relieve symptoms and comfort of patients, allowing them to make the most of their remaining time without the burden of treatment side effects.