What are the best treatments for lung cancer

After getting diagnosed with lung cancer there is a lot to think about.  What are you going to do now?  How much longer am I going to live?  What are my treatment options?  Which treatments are the best for me?  The good news is there is multiple treatment options, so there is choices to make.  This is good because you can then get the specific treatment that is BEST for you and your condition.
If you are only in Stage I of non-small cell lung cancer, then you may only need surgery.  Stage II and Stage III non-small cell lung cancer and limited small cell lung cancer sometimes may use surgery as well, but in combination with chemotherapy and radiation.  For Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer and for extensive small cell lung cancer chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, clinical trials, and supportive care are all used.
By determining the type and extent of the cancer, you can determine what options you have to choose from. 

Surgical options:

• Wedge resection—Removes the tumor and surrounding area
• Lobectomy—Removes the lobe of the lung
• Pneumonectomy—Removes the entire lung

The surgery that you need will depend on the extent of your cancer.  You and your doctor can discuss what surgery needs to be done to ensure that all of the cancer cells are removed.

Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy is when a drug, or a combination of drugs, are administered to the patient through the arm or orally.  The drugs kill the cancer cells.  The medications are generally administered in a particular order for the best results.  Chemotherapy can be used on its own to reduce the side effects of cancer, or it can be used in combination with surgery and radiation.

Radiation:
Radiation kills cancer cells with high-powered energy beams.  There are two types of radiation therapy, external beam radiation and brachytherapy.  External beam radiation is when the beams are aimed at lung cancer from outside of your body (external).  Brachytherapy is working internally by putting the beams through needles inside your body by the lung cancer.  Radiation is often used with chemotherapy, and radiation also helps reduce the side effects of cancer.

 

Targeted drug therapy:
A newer form of cancer treatment is targeted drug therapy.  Two therapies for lung cancer include Avastin and Tarceva.  Bevacizumab is known to kill the tumor by stopping its blood supply.  Tarceva stops the cancer cells from growing and dividing.  These drugs are normally used with a combination of chemotherapy, and they will only be administered to patients with advanced lung cancer.

Clinical Trials:
Clinical trials can benefit you, and definitely benefit others.  Clinical trials are not proven to show results and are not guaranteed to be safe, but they are the doctor’s most recent theory of curing lung cancer.  If you decide to take a clinical trial, then you will be assisting doctors in finding a cure for lung cancer.  Clinical trials are generally safe, but there can be no guarantee because not enough tests have been ran yet.  If you are interested in participating in clinical trials go to the following link: http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials

Supportive Care:

Once you and your doctor have agreed that you can no longer fight the cancer, supportive care is a great option.  Supportive care is a way of just making you feel the most comfortable until you pass.  Supportive care allows you to make the best of your final weeks or months.