Cure for lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the major cancers for both men and women. Uncontrolled division of cells in our body is the basic cause of the cancerous cell growth. This uncontrolled division of cells forms tumors which are benign and malignant. The malignant tumors are called cancer. When we say malignant it spreads to the other parts of the body through the blood stream or the lymphatic system. It is very difficult to get a cure for lung cancer at the advanced stages where it is found spread to the other parts of the body. If it is not treated at the early stage then chances are there for it to spread to the other parts of the body like liver, brain, bone and adrenal glands.

Cure for lung cancer is through surgery or radiation therapy or chemotherapy. For treating patients in the early stages of the cancer surgery is used. With the help of the surgery the cancerous cells (tumors) are removed. A single operation is not sufficient in some cases. If there is any re-growth of the cancerous cells then a second operation is also performed. If the tumors are spread to the close by area in the body, all of them can be removed with a single surgery. If it is spread to other areas of the body then a surgery will not suffice. Smokers are those who are affected by lung cancer mostly. Most of the smokers come for treating cancer only after the age of 50. At this age it is not possible to perform multiple surgeries in their body to remove the tumors since their body condition may not be suitable for such surgeries. After age 50 performing multiple surgeries are very risky. The size and the location of the tumor in the lungs play an important role in a surgery for lung cancer. The common surgeries that are performed in the lung are Lobectomy, segmental resection or wedge resection, or pneumonectomy. A lobectomy is a surgery in which an entire lobe is removed provided the lung functions well. In segmental resection the portion of the tumor alone is removed and in pneumonectomy the entire lung is removed. As the age of the patient progresses they are at risk in a lung cancer surgery. Surgery should be performed in young patients or they have to go for other treatments of cancer.

Radiation therapy is the most popular among the cure for lung cancer. The cells that divided uncontrollably are destroyed by radiation. The radiation can be from high energy X-Rays. The radiation therapy is used for many purposes. It can be the primary treatment for cancer or it is used as a supplementary treatment before performing a surgery. A radiation therapy is also used to clean up the area of the surgery by eliminating the remaining cancerous cells after a surgery. If the lung cancer has spread to far areas in the body then radiation therapy can be used to treat those areas. Shortness of breath is a symptom of having cancer and this symptom can be removed by using radiation therapy apart from removing the cancerous cells. Radiation therapy can also be combined with chemotherapy for effective treatment. Many sessions are required to treat a patient through radiation therapy. In order to avoid the radiation from affecting the normal cells in the nearby area a new technique called conformal radiation therapy is used. In this method the radiation beam changes the shape to suit that of the tumor being destroyed.

Chemotherapy is another method that is used as a cure for lung cancer. Toxic drugs are used to treat cancer cells through injections or catheter. With chemotherapy the life of the person can be prolonged and this is used to treat all the stages of lung cancer. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy as a cure for lung cancer is found to be more effective in treating lung cancer. Side effects due to chemotherapy and radiation therapy are to be considered before going for a treatment. Experimental treatments like Photodynamic therapy can be tried in some cases.