Medications Used For Lung Cancer

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapeutic treatments include the use of anticancer drugs, which are used to kill cancer cells that are in the primary focus of the cancer origination or either the cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapeutic drugs are given as a measure to be sure that even after performing the surgery if cancer cells are remaining in the tissues that they should be killed by the use of these therapeutic agents, which help in complete elimination of the cancer cells from throughout the body. Chemotherapy may be used to control cancer growth or to relieve symptoms. When the chemotherapy is just to control symptoms, it is said to be a palliative treatment.

Radiation or Radiotherapy

This mode of treatment high-energy rays are used to exterminate cancer cells. The radiation is focused to a limited area and it only affects cancer cells within that area. Radiation treatment can also be used before undergoing surgery to minimize the tumor or after surgery to wipe out any cancer cells remaining in the treated area. Radiation treatment is often used by doctors along with chemotherapy as a primary mode to control the cancer in place of performing surgery. Radiation treatment can also be used to relieve other symptoms such as shortness of breath or pain.

Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation (PCI)

As a precaution to prevent spread of the tumor cells to the brain, the doctors sometimes decide to give prophylactic cranial irradiation depending on the location of the tumor and its spread to the different areas of the body. This treatment is proved useful in cancers of the lungs and others, which are known to spread out to the brain, as brain is the main organ controlling so many different functions of the body and is very delicate to perform surgery on.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT)

This is a laser therapy, which involves the use of a specific chemical injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by cells in the tissues and organs of the body.
The chemical which is being absorbed in the normal cells just disperses fast from the normal cells, but stays behind in the cancer cells for a longer period of time. The laser is then aimed at the cancer cells, which activates the chemical into killing the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy is used to eliminate the cancer cells when the cancer cannot be removed through surgery. This can include controlling bleeding or relieving breathing problems due to clogged-up airways. Photodynamic therapy can also be indicated in those patients who have smaller tumors in whom the usual treatments for lung cancer are not appropriate.

Clinical trials

You can also say that clinical trials are a big hope for patients going through lung cancer and take part in the clinical trials with great enthusiasm, because there might be a chance that the get cured through those trials. In clinical trials the doctors evaluate and determine new ways to treat cancer and are sometimes an option for many lung cancer patients to receive treatment not yet available in the market.

LUNG CANCER

• Introduction
• Types of Lung Cancer
• Symptoms of Lung Cancer
• Who's at risk of Lung Cancer?
• Lung Cancer Diagnosis
• Staging Lung Cancer
• Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Alternative Lung Cancer Treatment
• Chemotherapy
• Early Detection Symptoms
• Recognition Of Early Symptoms
• Early Symptoms and Diagnosis
• Endstage Lung Cancer
• Lung Cancer Prognosis
• Stage 4 Lung Cancer
• Non Small Lung Cancer
• Treatment for Lung Cancer
• Lung Cancer Medications
• Side Effects of Lung Cancer Treatments
• Lung Cancer Care
• Questions to ask the doctor
• Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer
• Lung Cancer Research
• Mesothelioma Asbestos Lung Cancer
• Metastatic Lung Cancer
• Oat Cell Lung Cancer
• Lung Cancer - A Deadly Result Due To Smoking
• Smoking and Lung Cancer
• Squamous Cell Lung Cancer