Lung Cancer Chemotherapy
What is Lung cancer?
Lung cancer, like all cancers, is an abnormality in the body’s basic unit of life, the cell. Normally, the body maintains a system of checks and balances on cell growth so that cells divide to produce new cells only when new cells are needed. It is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. Disruption of this system of checks and balances on cell growth results in an uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells that eventually forms a mass known as a tumor.
Diagnose Lung cancer
Doctors use a wide range of diagnostic procedures and tests to diagnose lung cancer. These include the history and physical examination, and The chest X-ray which is the most common first diagnostic step when any new symptoms of lung cancer are present. Also Lung cancer may be seen on chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT scan). The diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy. This is usually performed by bronchoscopy or CT-guided biopsy.
Lung cancer treatment
The treatment of lung cancer depends on its type and extent. Therefore, the doctor must obtain specific information before suggesting a treatment. The doctor will need to know: the type of lung cancer the patient has, the size of the growth, exactly where in the lung it is, whether the cancer has spread, and, if so, how far, etc. The treatment can involve surgical removal of the cancer, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, as well as combinations of these treatments. The decision about which treatments will be appropriate for a given individual must take into account the location and extent of the tumor as well as the overall health status of the patient.
Lung cancer chemotherapy
Standard chemotherapy for lung cancer typically consists of combinations of two or more of these drugs. Such combination therapy has been shown to improve the overall response to treatment. Well-known drug pairings in combination therapy include the following:
* Paclitaxel plus carboplatin
* Cisplatin plus vinorelbine tartrate
* Cisplatin plus VP-16
* Carboplatin plus VP-16
Concurrent radiotherapy is very often used with the combinations of cisplatin plus VP-16 or carboplatin plus VP-16. In addition, researchers are now studying the effects of radiotherapy with the combination of paclitaxel plus carboplatin.
Anemia (low number of red blood cells) is a frequent side effect of chemotherapy and may cause symptoms such as extreme tiredness, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Epoetin alfa (Procrit®, Epogen®)—a synthetic hormone that stimulates red blood cell production—is a prescription drug available for the treatment of chemotherapy-related anemia.
Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
Gemcitabine hydrochloride (Gemzar®) is a chemotherapeutic drug that has unique activity against many solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Combination therapy with gemcitabine, cisplatin (Platinol®), and vinorelbine tartrate (Navelbine®) has been found to be safe and very active in persons with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Tumors in these patients often cannot be removed by surgery (are unresectable), and so the patient may not survive for even 1 year without therapy.
Below is more information about lung cancer:
Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer Treatment
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