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Lung cancer treatment criteria are dependent upon the cell type, cell differentiation, overall health of the individual and the willingness of the individuals who undergo specific changes in their lifestyle choices which may have initiated the lung cancer in the first place.
Risk factors for lung cancer include tobacco smoke (the highest risk) as well as occupational chemical exposure, air pollution and some genetic predisposition. If an individual is unwilling to either give up their job or give up their cigarettes then treatment options for lung cancer are highly limited.
This limitation in treatment options is due to the fact that lung cancer is not often found when the disease is in the early stages. When lung cancer has advanced to the later stages the prognosis is poor and the potential for treatment options has decreased. If an individual is willing to make lifestyle changes then the options which are available improves.
Lung cell differentiation can either find small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer as the general categories of cell growth. Both cell types of lung cancer are aggressive in nature, meaning they tend to grow rapidly. Use of chemotherapy and radiation in small cell lung cancer has more positive results than in non-small cell lung cancer. However if non-small cell lung cancer is found in the early stages and can be completely removed the survival rate jumps to over 60%.
The criteria which affects prognosis for lung cancer also affects the criteria for treatment options. These criteria include the type of lung cancer, the cell differentiation, the stage of the cancer and the patient\’s overall general health. This means that an individual who suffers also from high blood pressure, diabetes or peripheral vascular disease will be a higher risk for treatment then a patients who develops lung cancer without obvious risk factors in their lifestyle.
For most patients with non-small cell lung cancer, current treatments are not curative. There are some paliative treatment options such as chemotherapy, radiation, photodynamic therapy, laser treatment and partial resection. However, if non-small cell lung cancer is found then an individual may want to consider participation in some of the many clinical trials being done to improve treatment. Today, clinical trials take part in most of the United States for patients with all stages of non-small cell lung cancer.
Understanding your treatment options and prognosis gives an individual a better grasp of the future. Healthcare practitioners who work closely with patients who have lung cancer also help these individuals to find general counseling, individual support therapy and life planning counseling in order to improve the ultimate outcome for the individual\’s family and relatives.
RESOURCES
national Cancer Institute: General Information about Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Cancer Research UK: Types of Treatment for Lung Cancer
Cancer.Net: ASCOs Guidelines on Adjuvant treatment for Lung Cancer