Lung Cancer Treatment
Lung Cancer Treatment
Lungs are the vital respiratory organs in the human body. The two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart. The main function of Lungs is to carry oxygen from the atmosphere into the blood, and to release carbon dioxide from the blood into the atmosphere.
What is Lung Cancer?
A Lung Cancer is when out-of-control cell growth occurs in one or both lungs. The cancer can arise in any part of the lung, but majority of it arises in the epithelial cells, which are the lining of the Bronchi and bronchioles i.e. the larger and the smaller airways of the lungs. Lung cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly almost 70% of people diagnosed with lung cancer are over 65 years of age.
Lung Cancer is largely classified into two main types based on the cancer’s appearance under a microscope viz. Small Cell Carcinoma which accounts for only 20% of the total lung cancer’s and Non small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) which accounts for 80% of lung cancers.
- Small cell carcinoma: It generally starts in one of the larger breathing tubes, grows fairly rapidly, and is likely to be large by the time of diagnosis.
- Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): It is further classified into the following:
- Epidermoid carcinoma or Squamous cell carcinoma: It forms in the lining of the bronchial tubes and it usually starts from one of the larger breathing tubes and grows relatively slowly.
- Adenocarcinoma: It starts forming in the mucus-producing glands of the lungs. It is most common type of lung cancer that occurs in Women’s and Non-smokers.
- Large cell caracinoma: This kind of NSCLC initiates near the surface of the lung and it grows rapidly.
Causes of Lung Cancer
The major causes of Lung cancer are as follows:
- Smoking
- Passive smoking
- Asbestos fibers: Asbestos fibers are silicate fibers that can persist for a lifetime in lung tissue following exposure to asbestos. Asbestos workers who do not smoke have a fivefold greater risk of developing lung cancer than nonsmokers.
- Radon gas: It is a natural decay product of Radium
- Family history.
- Lung diseases like Tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Air pollution
Lung Cancer Symptoms
Lung cancer symptoms usually appear after the disease reaches an advanced stage. These include:
- Constant or severe coughing
- Pain in the chest or back from coughing
- Different coloured sputum/ mucus
- Difficulty in swallowing and breathing
- Huskiness of the voice
- Chronic bronchitis or pneumonia
- Coughing up of blood in the sputum
Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Lung cancer can be diagnosed by:
- Physical examination and by analyzing the medical history and personal habits of the patient.
- Common imaging techniques like chest X-rays, bronchoscopy, CT scans, MRI scans, and PET scans.
- Lung Biopsy
- Sputum Cytology
Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Lung cancer treatments depend on the category and stage of the cancer. And the other factors that are considered while selecting a treatment are age, health condition, and additional personal characteristics. Usually a combination of therapies and palliative care is given as part of the treatment. The main lung cancer treatments are surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation.Surgery: If the cancer is in initial stages and the tumor has not spread than surgery is done by removing the tumor and the surrounding margin of tissue. If the disease has spread, it is not possible to remove all the cancer cells through surgery.Radiotherapy: Through radiation the lung cancer tumors are destroyed or shrunken by focusing high-energy rays on these cells. Radiation can be used as the main treatment for lung cancer or can also be used along with surgery to kill the remaining.
Chemotherapy: In Chemotherapy strong chemicals are used which hinders the cell division process.Interventional Radiology: In this small heat probes are inserted into the tumor which kills the tumor cells.
How to Get Started ?
If you want to travel to India for high quality and affordable treatment then please send the following details to us by email at medical@treatmentassistance.in
- Name and age of the Patient
- Latest medical reports
- Details of current medical condition ( in brief )
For more information on traveling to India for medical treatment, you can write to us at medical@treatmentassistance.in or call or WhatsApp at +91 9900 244 323.