Lung Cancer Treatment

Lung cancer treatment depends on the specific cell type, how far it has spread and the patient's status. The three most common treatment methods are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. After it has been confirmed that a patient has lung cancer, a CT scan and positron emission tomography (PET) are used to determine whether the disease is localized or has spread to the point where it cannot be cured through surgery.

Blood tests and lung function testing are also done to assess whether the patient is in a good condition to be operated on. If lung function testing or spirometry shows poor respiratory reserve due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, surgery may be contraindicated. Surgery as a lung cancer treatment method has an operative death rate of about 4.4% depending on the patient's lung function and other risk factors.

Chemotherapy and radiation are used to treat small cell lung carcinoma. Primary chemotherapy is used to treat metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy is the use of chemotherapy after surgery to help cure the disease completely. At the time of surgery, samples are taken from the lymph nodes and tested. If they contain cancer, the patient is said to have stage II or III disease and adjuvant therapy is used to improve the patient's survival by up to 15%.

Radiation therapy together with chemotherapy is another lung cancer treatment method. The two are combined to treat patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma who are not eligible for surgery, radiotherapy together with chemotherapy are used as treatment methods.

About the Author:

Mercy Maranga Reports on Health and Fitness issues. Visit Her Site here for more information on cancer and its treatment Cancer