How to treat lung cancer: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, iressa medication, diet, reviews

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Pulmonary cancer is called malignant neoplasms developing in the bronchi and lung tissue. Abnormal cells develop rapidly and multiply, which leads to an increase in education. If treatment is neglected, the tumor penetrates the brain, cardiovascular tissues and other inorganic structures.

The cancer of the pulmonary system is most typical for men over 60, although it also occurs in women. According to some data, the percentage ratio of such pathology among men and women is 5: 1, respectively, that is, one ill woman has five male patients.

How does the disease manifest itself?

Clinical manifestations of pulmonary cancer are conventionally divided into a general and a specific group. General manifestations:

  • Appetite is lost;
  • The patient begins to lose weight rapidly;
  • Disturbing hyperexcusability;
  • There are often temperature changes;
  • Decreased performance.

Similar symptomatology is typical for many varieties of oncoprocesses.

But there are specific signs that indicate the development of pulmonary cancer:

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  • The causeless cough , which is often exhausting, is accompanied by the release of yellowish-green sputum. If the patient lies down, goes into the cold or is engaged in physical activity, then coughing starts begin to bother more often.
  • Against the background of pulmonary inflammation develops the strongest dyspnea ;
  • With the progression of the cancer, sputum with blood begins to stand out, often blood clots are visible in it;
  • When the tumor sprouts into the pleural or bone tissue, develops a painful .At first, there is no pain, so the appearance of such a symptom indicates the neglect of the cancer process. With a cough, tenderness becomes more intense, often the irradiation of the shoulder region, neck or back area to the extremity.

What causes this disease?

Specialists identify a whole group of factors that cause pulmonary cancer:

  1. Age group over 50;
  2. Endocrine pathology;
  3. Presence on light scar tissue, pneumonic, bronchodilator or tuberculosis processes;
  4. Genetic Conditionality;
  5. Nicotine dependence is considered one of the main prerequisites for cancer of the bronchopulmonary system. When smoking for about ten years or smoking 2 cigarette packs a day increases the likelihood of developing cancer by 25 times;
  6. Employment in hazardous production, where workers contact with asbestos, toxic substances, rubber production, work at metallurgical or mining enterprises;
  7. Radiation and aggressive environmental conditions.

Treatment methods and their effectiveness?

The choice of methods of treatment of lung cancer and their effectiveness is largely due to the morphological type of the oncological process, the state of the patient's body and the stage of development of the cancer process.

Experts note that the success of anti-cancer treatment is caused by several factors like:

  • Typical characteristics of pulmonary cancer - histology, location, shape, etc.;
  • Psychological attitude and desire of the patient to cope with the disease;
  • The body's response to the action of drugs;
  • Degrees of progression and neglect of cancer;
  • The presence in the body of resistance to cancer;
  • Correctness of the applied therapy scheme.

Surgical removal of

A surgical approach to the elimination of pulmonary cancer involves the removal of a tumor, a specific part or lung completely.

Surgical treatment is recommended for non-small-cell pulmonary oncology, because small-celled cancer is more aggressive and requires a different therapeutic approach.

Operative treatment refers to radical techniques, but very encouraging and giving chances of a definitive cure for cancer.

Usually with pulmonary cancer, a lobectomy operation is performed, involving the removal of the pulmonary lobe, or pneumonectomy, involving removal of the entire organ.

In the process of the postoperative period, the probability of complications of purulent and septic character is high, bronchial fistulas, problems with respiratory function can form.

After surgery the patient feels dizzy, palpitations, dyspnea, it is difficult for him to breathe. After such an operation, any physical load is categorically contraindicated.

Lung transplantation

In a similar pathology, there is usually a need for transplantation of only one lung, although both organs are also transplanted. Sometimes, it is necessary to transplant only the pulmonary lobe.

In the case of children, specialists often take a donor share from their parents, which gives the child a chance to live. Usually, a person with a deceased brain is chosen as a donor, if a transplantation of lobes is required, then a live person can act as a donor.

Chemotherapy

In recent years, chemotherapeutic treatment has become a very effective method in the anti-cancer fight. If the pulmonary tumor is small-celled, then polychemotherapy is the main method of eliminating cancer.

The success of this technique is about 6-8 patients out of a dozen, followed by resorption of malignant formation.

A similar effect gives life to half of the patients. Chemotherapy is also used after surgery to destroy possible metastases.

If the cancer is large-celled, then the predictions of the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic treatment are much lower and is 10-30%.

Food after chemistry

There is no special diet after chemotherapy, just the food should be balanced and full-fledged. It is necessary to exclude seasonings, sharp or fatty dishes.

To improve intestinal activity it is recommended to include fruits, berries, vegetable dishes in the everyday menu. To accelerate the recovery of the body, the patient needs to consume a sufficient amount of protein products. To get carbohydrates you need to eat pasta, potatoes, cereals, etc.

Consequences of

As a result of chemotherapy treatment, not only cancer, but the body as a whole receive a powerful blow.

The drugs used induce nausea and vomiting symptoms, diarrhea, hair loss, chronic fatigue and ulceration in the oral cavity. Then there is a symptomatology associated with a decrease in hemoglobin and leukocyte levels. Infectious processes of a secondary nature often take place.

Radiation method

Radiotherapy for lung cancer can be performed in combination with chemotherapy or on its own. By the term radiation treatment is meant irradiation of the neoplasm with ionizing radiation, which deprives cancer cells of the ability to grow and divide.

Irradiation is often performed before surgical intervention, in order to successfully remove all education in the future. Radiation treatment is also indicated after the removal of cancer. Such an appointment is necessary to reduce the burden on healthy tissues and the body as a whole.

The initial stages of pulmonary oncology, irradiated in a timely manner, usually achieve a long remission result. Radiotherapy can provide a two-year survival rate for a third of patients, but if a complex effect is achieved, almost 85% receive prolongation of life.

Complications of

Radiotherapy procedure can provoke some changes in the body:

  1. Radiation pneumonia;
  2. Heart problems;
  3. Development of vascular pathologies;
  4. Development of radiation esophagitis, etc.

Adverse reactions may appear immediately during treatment or occur after it.

Cyberknife

Similar treatment is applied to patients if they are contraindicated in surgery. In fact, the cyber knife refers to the types of radiation surgery and is based on the use of a high-intensity clearly focused ionizing beam, capable of exterminating all cancer cell structures. And the effect on healthy tissue is completely ruled out.

Conservative treatment of patients with lung cancer

Such a technique as chemotherapy refers to conservative methods of fighting pulmonary oncology. Along with the use of antitumor drugs, oncological patients are prescribed other drugs such as painkillers, vitamin complexes, inhalations to restore normal breathing, etc.

Antineoplastic agents

Various antitumor drugs are used in the process of anticancer treatment. The most appointed of them are:

  • Cisplatinum;
  • of Iress;
  • Cyclophosphamide;
  • Sehydrin;
  • Vincristine;
  • Dexamethasone;
  • Gemcitabine;
  • Paclitaxel, etc.

Patients leave a lot of reviews about these medications. Here are a few quotes from the patients' reviews:

Sister was assigned to Iressa at stage 2 of pulmonary cancer. He drinks these pills the third month. Dynamics for the better is obvious, although there are many pobochek and the price bites;

The pope prescribed Sehydrin, which is usually prescribed to the dying to alleviate the last days. He has stage 4, metastasis across all organs. After taking it, it becomes calm and the pain disappears;

After the fourth chemistry, it was terribly hard for her husband - nauseated, taste and olfactory receptors worsened. Began to prick Dexamethasone, after which immediately felt better. But in parallel with it or him it is necessary preparations for protection of a stomach to drink.

Pain medications

Pulmonary cancer is often accompanied by painful symptoms, so patients need pain. In relation to such oncologists, a three-stage analgesic system is used:

  1. In the first stages of , pain can be easily treated with drugs of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory group;
  2. In the second stage of the , NSAIDs no longer cope, therefore, anesthesia is based on the use of a drug combination containing non-narcotic analgesic drugs like Promedol, Tramal, Codeine, Prosedol, Dionin or Tramadol and weak opiates;
  3. At the third stage of the , patients are anesthetized with narcotic analgesics such as Morphine, Omnepon, Fentanyl or Buprenorphine.

Vitamins

Because pulmonary cancer is treated with chemotherapy with antitumor drugs that are destructive to the body, it is extremely important for cancer patients to take various vitamin complexes and preparations.

Vitamin compounds are actively involved in reducing organic processes and contribute to the activation of the protective mechanisms of the human body.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are detrimental to immunity, poisoning the body, so oncology and vitamin therapy is indicated.

How to facilitate breathing and coughing

To facilitate breathing in pulmonary cancer, its root causes should be eliminated:

  • Excellent patient condition of all kinds of inhalation;
  • The patient's room must have sufficient humidity;
  • The patient must categorically refuse to smoke;
  • Often oncological opioids like Codeine or Morphine are prescribed for cough;
  • Also from the intrusive coughing attacks help the anesthetic local preparations like Bupivacaine, Lidocaine;
  • Antitussive herbal preparations are used.

Dietary food

Chemotherapy and radiation are often accompanied by very disastrous consequences, so diet therapy is an important component in the treatment of lung cancer.

In order for the organism to recover more quickly, it is necessary to provide it with the necessary nutrients.

It is not recommended to eat foods with various additives, preservatives, smoked products, sausages, marinades, fatty foods, coffee and alcohol, sweeteners. It is better to base your diet on dairy products, eggs, nuts, beans and soy, lean fish and chicken meat.

Is it possible to cure the last stage with metastases?

To treat the 4th stage of lung cancer, it is considered that it is impossible to achieve complete cure of the patient. Therefore, all therapeutic measures are applied, rather not to cure, but in order to improve the life quality and the patient's indices for inoperable disease.

For this purpose resort to the appointment of palliative measures, providing symptomatic therapy and work with psychologists.

Depending on the histology of the tumor, chemotherapeutic treatment is prescribed, the success of which is determined by the degree of metastasis and the immune protective forces of the patient.

Reviews about therapy

Patients leave a lot of opinions regarding the treatment of pulmonary oncology.

Catherine:

Dad often began to complain about a suffocating cough, not associated with a cold. Almost by force they dragged him to the hospital, where they discovered lung cancer. It is impossible to describe all the horror that we experienced in the process of diagnosis and treatment. The pope was assigned several courses of chemistry, with an interval of a month. During this year, my father lost weight, even dried up, but chemotherapy did its job - the tumor stopped in development and began to decrease. A month later, again, chemistry. Let's hope that the father will finally cope with the disease.

Anna

It's been a year since mom's gone. Lung cancer took her pretty quickly. First, the doctors could not determine the stage and morphology of the cancer for a long time, then they decided which treatment regimen to prescribe, then they stopped for polychemotherapy in combination with the irradiation, but it was too late. Of course, my mother became better after treatment, but not for long.

Palliative care for patients

Palliative care involves the provision of therapeutic care to patients in the final stages of pathologies leading to unavoidable death. The goal of such care for patients is the smoothing of symptoms, improvement of the patient's psychoemotional state, elimination of pain manifestations of pulmonary oncology.

Palliative therapy for lung cancer is usually complex and is determined by a specialist in accordance with the disease pattern. Often, this includes communication with psychologists and persons belonging to the church.

Lifespan

Usually, predictions for pulmonary cancer are very disappointing, although the stage of disease detection plays a significant role. Usually, after revealing the pathology, about 20% live a year, and only 8% live for five years.

Where are patients treated?

For assistance in the treatment of pulmonary cancer, you should contact specialized oncological centers, located not only on Russian territory, but also abroad.

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