Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States, though many people are under the impression that only smokers are affected, the truth is that around two-thirds of patients have never smoked or quit. Lung cancer affects more people than the three other major cancer conditions combined - breast, prostrate and colon cancer.
Lung cancer is diagnosed by a series of tests, some or all of which will be utilized by an oncologist (cancer specialist). These tests include the following:
CT Scan
PET Scan
Bronchoscopy
Needle biopsy
Surgical biopsy
Once a diagnosis of lung cancer has been established, your doctor will need to assess the stage of the disease. Staging is the process by which the cancer is assessed and categorized; this is essential for determining an effective treatment regime which will depend on a number of detailed factors. Factors include the size of the tumor, location, whether it is primary (originated in the lungs) or metastasized (spread to the lungs from another tumor elsewhere in the body), whether it has spread to the lymph nodes and many other factors.
Staging is frequently referred to as TNM - Tumor, Lymph Nodes, Metastasized.
Treatment regimes will be determined by the type of lung cancer a patient has acquired. Metastasized cancer is treated differently from primary cancer - in the latter case, the tumor originates in the lung and can be treated by surgery in the early stages backed up by chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Metastasized cancer cannot be so easily treated by surgery unless the cancer is non-aggressive and the tumor of relatively small size.
Your doctor will probably recommend minimally invasive surgery for early stage, primary lung cancer and this has distinct advantages in both treatment outcome and for the patient. Minimally invasive techniques do not involve opening the thoracic cavity (the chest) and is not major surgery with the attendant risks that carries. It is usual for a patient to be up and walking within a couple of hours of the procedure and to be home within a day or two of being admitted to hospital. Chemotherapy or radiation treatment may be used to follow up the removal (known as a resection) of the cancerous lung tissue.
Traditional open surgery may be used where the cancer is located in an inaccessible portion of the lungs or is at a stage where minimally invasive techniques are not appropriate. This requires an incision in the side of the chest (the flank) and the spreading of the ribs to gain access to the area where the tumor is located. This involves additional pain and discomfort for the patient and a longer stay in hospital with a longer recovery period, which is why minimally invasive techniques are often preferred. Again, the operation will frequently be followed up by additional chemotherapy or radiation treatment where necessary.
Where the disease has reached a stage at which it is incurable, palliative surgery may be undertaken to help the patient's quality of life, such as the removal of the tumor which has become of a size where airways are being obstructed. - 30285
Lung cancer is diagnosed by a series of tests, some or all of which will be utilized by an oncologist (cancer specialist). These tests include the following:
CT Scan
PET Scan
Bronchoscopy
Needle biopsy
Surgical biopsy
Once a diagnosis of lung cancer has been established, your doctor will need to assess the stage of the disease. Staging is the process by which the cancer is assessed and categorized; this is essential for determining an effective treatment regime which will depend on a number of detailed factors. Factors include the size of the tumor, location, whether it is primary (originated in the lungs) or metastasized (spread to the lungs from another tumor elsewhere in the body), whether it has spread to the lymph nodes and many other factors.
Staging is frequently referred to as TNM - Tumor, Lymph Nodes, Metastasized.
Treatment regimes will be determined by the type of lung cancer a patient has acquired. Metastasized cancer is treated differently from primary cancer - in the latter case, the tumor originates in the lung and can be treated by surgery in the early stages backed up by chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Metastasized cancer cannot be so easily treated by surgery unless the cancer is non-aggressive and the tumor of relatively small size.
Your doctor will probably recommend minimally invasive surgery for early stage, primary lung cancer and this has distinct advantages in both treatment outcome and for the patient. Minimally invasive techniques do not involve opening the thoracic cavity (the chest) and is not major surgery with the attendant risks that carries. It is usual for a patient to be up and walking within a couple of hours of the procedure and to be home within a day or two of being admitted to hospital. Chemotherapy or radiation treatment may be used to follow up the removal (known as a resection) of the cancerous lung tissue.
Traditional open surgery may be used where the cancer is located in an inaccessible portion of the lungs or is at a stage where minimally invasive techniques are not appropriate. This requires an incision in the side of the chest (the flank) and the spreading of the ribs to gain access to the area where the tumor is located. This involves additional pain and discomfort for the patient and a longer stay in hospital with a longer recovery period, which is why minimally invasive techniques are often preferred. Again, the operation will frequently be followed up by additional chemotherapy or radiation treatment where necessary.
Where the disease has reached a stage at which it is incurable, palliative surgery may be undertaken to help the patient's quality of life, such as the removal of the tumor which has become of a size where airways are being obstructed. - 30285
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