Last Updated on March 11, 2024 by Partha Protim Choudhury
Lung cancer is a distressing disease and impacts the quality of life of the patient at many levels. The patient may suffer on physical, social, or psychological levels. Lung cancer patients may suffer from chest pain, coughing, breathlessness, lung infections, weakness, and undiagnosed weight loss. Patients may even withdraw from their social sphere. Psychologically, they may suffer from low moods, depression, anxiety, worry, and fear. To improve their quality of life, they should choose, along with doctors, the best lung cancer treatment. Here, we list different treatment methods and their use.
How much time would a patient take to heal from lung cancer?
The healing from lung cancer may vary from case to case. Detection of lung cancer at an early stage will lead to better outcomes and treatments. How well a lung cancer patient recovers depends on many factors.
An important aspect is which type of lung cancer the patient suffers from. There are two types of lung cancers – non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC is a slow-growing cancer but a more common type. However, SCLC is a fast-growing type of cancer, but there are fewer cases of it.
Another factor that contributes to the healing of cancer is the stage of cancer. In the initial stages of cancer, the cancer outcomes may be better. More treatment options would be possible. In advanced stages, there may be limits on the treatment options. As the cancer spreads in the body, doctors will have to treat it in different organs.
Lastly, a person’s previous medical history is also a contributor to healing from lung cancer. If a lung cancer patient has diabetes, his/her healing is difficult. Studies show that chronic inflammation and high blood glucose in diabetes cause the progression of cancer.
What are the treatment options available for lung cancer?
In the early stages, the best lung cancer treatment is surgery. There are different types of surgeries. Herein, the surgeon either removes only a part of the lobe, or he/she/they remove the entire lobe. Depending on the spread in the lungs, the surgeon may even remove the entire lung.
Chemotherapy is a treatment method in which doctors give medicine either orally or through veins. In turn, this medicine either kills or slows the growth of cancerous cells. It reduces the chances of cancer recurrence. Doctors give neoadjuvant chemotherapy before the surgery to reduce the tumour size. They use adjuvant chemotherapy after the surgery to prevent cancer from coming back.
Furthermore, radiation therapy is a treatment used for lung cancer. It is also used as an adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy. In this therapy, high-energy X-rays kill the growing cancerous cells. Doctors may implant radioactive material into the lung cancer or give radiation from outside.
Immunotherapy is another type of lung cancer treatment. In this process, the doctors give medicines, through veins, that strengthen the body’s immune system. As a result, it can counter the harmful cancerous cells. An example of immunotherapy is injecting the body with antibodies specific to the proteins on the surface of cancer cells.
If a patient’s body cannot sustain side effects of chemotherapy, doctors use targeted therapy – only in the advanced stages of lung cancer. For instance, doctors may give medicines that target the process of blood vessel formation in the tumours. Targeted medicine may attack the specific genes present in the cancerous cells.
Not much scientific data is available on lung cancer cure rates in India. However, a study found that the 5-year survival rate improved to 17.8% based on 2006 – 2016 data.
Remember that only the oncologists can provide the best lung cancer treatment. Follow the regime they decide for you. Schedule follow-ups with doctors and get tests done on time.
Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.
