Treatment Options For People With Lung Cancer

by: Gray Rollins

Several lung cancer treatments are currently available and the determination as to which one is prescribed depends on the lung cancer stage that has been diagnosed, the location of the cancer, and the patient’s health. The most common treatments for lung cancer include Surgery, Radiation, chemotherapy, and Targeted Therapy.

Surgery

Surgery involves cutting away a cancerous tumor and a portion of the tissue that has surrounded the tumor. Sometimes the surgical treatment involves removal of the entire affected lung. Surgery is often effective, but recovery time can be long. Because the surgeon will have to cut through the rib cage to get to the lungs, there will be pain and bed rest for one to two months after the procedure.

In addition to traditional surgical methods, other types of surgical procedures can be used depending on the location of the tumor and also the patient’s physical condition. A craniotomy, which is basically surgery performed through a hole made to the skull can be prescribed to tumors located in the brain. For small tumors, a procedure whereby a video camera is inserted into a tiny incision helps the surgeon zero in on a tumor. Because the incision is small, pain is generally reduced.

Radiation

Radiation can either be used by itself or in conjunction with a surgical procedure. Radiation can be beamed directly at the cancerous tumor from the outside of the body using a laser, or radiation can be delivered directly to the tumor via a small pellet. When a patient’s overall state of health is poor, radiation is a better alternative than undergoing a surgical procedure. In cases where surgery has been performed, radiation might also be prescribed as a way to remove the cancerous cells that for whatever reason could not be surgically removed. Radiation to remove brain tumors can result in changing the brain’s functionality later on, but may be the only option.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is actually a drug that works to remove cancer by way of the bloodstream. Chemotherapy drugs can be taken either orally or administered via an injection into a vein. Because the bloodstream can carry the drug throughout the body, Chemotherapy is often the preferred treatment when lung cancer has spread well beyond the lungs. One problem associated with chemotherapy is that it can also cause damage to healthy cells and the cells that produce blood that reside within the bone marrow. Low blood counts can lead to a number of different problems so Chemotherapy treatment must be closely monitored.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted Therapy is a relatively new treatment option that does show promise. Instead of focusing on destroying damaged cells (which can also damage healthy cells), these drugs instead are designed to interfere with a cancerous cell’s ability to grow. Right now, Targeted Therapy drugs are given to patients only after other treatment options have been attempted. And unfortunately, Targeted Therapy has not been effective for all patients.

Each lung cancer treatment option has benefits, risks and frequently, side effects. Deciding which option is best is something that only a doctor and patient can determine.

About The Author

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for http://www.lifelungcancer.com. To learn more about lung cancer treatments, visit http://www.lifelungcancer.com/.

This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

Lung Cancer Resources

Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer Information

Stop Smoking – Overcoming this Physical and Psychological Addiction

by: Carol Stack

Simply wanting to stop smoking is a large part of the battle to succeeding. Often knowing that cigarettes are destroying your health is not enough incentive. You don’t want to think about all the health problems that smoking can cause.

After all, between the physical addiction to nicotine and the psychological addiction, the whole person, mind and body, is craving the next cigarette. With that strong pull encouraging you to the next smoke, the thought of getting cancer, having a heart attack, or hurting your unborn baby might not be enough to make you decide to stop smoking.

That your health doesn’t deteriorate with the first cigarette encourages you to believe that smoking is not dangerous. Tobacco takes twenty to fifty years to damage your body with cancer or heart disease.

For a young person who is encouraged to start smoking at fifteen or seventeen that seems like a lifetime away. The sad thing is, by the time the damage is done it can be too late to quit smoking. They can end up dead of a heart attack at forty-five or dying of lung cancer at fifty.

How does one succeed in stopping the mind and body from continuing this addiction? You must deal with the body and the mind separately but at the same time. In other words, deal with the physical addiction with one technique and the psychological addiction with another technique all at the same time.

Click Here For The Easy Quit System

It’s actually easier to deal with the physical addiction. There are patches, pills, and gums that you can use if you need them. Your doctor will be able to help you in this area by recommending products that can help your body lose the desire for a cigarette.

The psychological addiction is more complicated to overcome. Everyone would rather experience pleasure than pain, and trying to stop smoking will produce pain. To the smoker, cigarettes produce pleasure.

Some smoke to have something to do, or because they believe it will calm their nerves. They might associate smoking with a pleasurable experience, such as smoking with friends at the bar or while they play poker. They aren’t smoking because they feel the need for the nicotine, but because they associate smoking with a good time.

So how does one overcome the psychological addiction? Some professionals suggest filling up the time you would normally be smoking with some other activity. The activity needs to be a positive one or it won’t work.

Have the activities planned out. Know exactly what you are going to do in place of smoking and be prepared for it.

Include times of regular exercise, meditation and breathing exercises. Believe you can stop smoking and surround yourself with people who will encourage you to succeed.

Most importantly, get rid of the idea that life isn’t worth living without cigarettes. That thought must not be allowed. Change that thought to “life is worth living without cigarettes.” Instead of thinking that cigarettes are good, replace the thought with something like “cigarettes are killing me.”

By changing your thoughts about cigarettes from positive to negative you will change your beliefs about them. When your beliefs change, then you lose the psychological craving for them and it’s easier to stop smoking.

About The Author

Carol Stack enjoys writing. She lives with her husband, children, and various dogs and cats in the United States. She has a web site dedicated to her grandmother who smoked for over 45 years before quitting. The site is located at http://www.onlinestopsmokingtips.com where she encourages people who want to stop smoking.

This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

Stop Smoking Resources

The World’s Best Lung Detox Program
Fresh Start – Stop Smoking In One Hour