How is LungCancer diagnosed & treated?
1. Overview
Lung cancer begins in the lungs and is most common among peoplewho smoke. People who smoke have 30 times more chances of developing lungcancer than people who do not smoke.
Lung cancer could also be observed among people who do not smokeand are associated with various risk factors like passive smoking, Exposure toradon gas, exposure to asbestos, Air pollution, or have a family history oflung cancer.
Lung cancer treatment In India is done by a teamof specialists who follow a multidisciplinary approach. The team of doctorsincludes Oncologists, physicians, radiologists, surgeons, dieticians,physiotherapists, and counselors.
2. Symptomsof Lung Cancer
If you develop any one or more symptoms it is advised to consultyour doctor as early as possible. Early screening and diagnosis help plan inright treatment approach with minimal side effects.
The symptoms include are
Pain in the chest
Discomfort in the chest area
Coughing with blood
Cough that is getting worse and doesn\'t go away even after 2 weeks
Pain in the chest
Difficulty breathing
Unexplained weight loss
Hoarseness of voice
3. LungCancer Treatment in India
Lung cancer treatment in India starts from 1300 USD and couldreach up to 38, 000 USD. But the cost of treatment in India is more affordableand budget-friendly than various other western countries.
Lung cancer treatment costs depend on various factors like thetype of cancer, stage of cancer, your overall health, the experience of thedoctor, the hospital and city you choose, your overall stay in the hospital,investigations, diagnostics, and treatment plan according to your stage andtype of cancer.
Lung cancer treatment in India is highly effective, provided bythe best team of specialists with quality care and precision and it iscompletely budget-friendly.
The team ensures the quality care of treatment for patients for earlyand quick recovery.
4. What arethe types of treatment for Lung Cancer?
Lung cancer treatment depends on the type andstage of your Lung cancer. In some cases, a single line of treatment is advisedhowever in some a combination approach for treatment is used by thespecialists.
The type of treatment given in Lung Cancer are –
Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiation Therapy
Targeted therapy
5. Whichtreatment option I should choose?
Choosing the right treatment for you is your doctor\'sresponsibility. Your doctor would carry out various investigations to identifythe type and stage of cancer and would explain to you the available treatmentoptions.
The team with the multidisciplinary approach would explain to youif need a single line of treatment or a combination of treatment.
Doctors always choose the treatment option that is best andaffordable for patients and with minimal side effects.
6. Beforetreatment evaluation
Physical examination- At firstwhen you visit the specialist your doctor would do your physical examinationand would look at your signs and symptoms.
History– Your doctorwould take up your family history, your current history, your habits, anyassociated medical condition, and your overall health status.
Investigations– Your doctorwould advise you on various investigations like blood tests, CT scan, MRI scan,X-ray, PET scan, cardiac assessment as per the requirement.
Recommendations– Afterevaluating the health status and investigations your doctor would advise you onthe treatment plan. How is lung cancer diagnosed plays an important role inplanning the line of treatment?
7. Thetreatment options are –
Surgery– Surgery is the first line of treatment provided to patients during theearly stage of cancer. The cancer cells are removed and cancer tissue is cutduring surgery. The planning of surgery as a line of treatment also depends onthe associated medical condition and overall health of the patient.
Radiotherapy- Inthis treatment high-energy x rays are used to kill cancer cells. It could beused as the first line of treatment, before surgery or after surgery to killcancer cells.
Radiation therapy is sometimes used with chemotherapy too, toreduce symptoms like cough and pain.
Chemotherapy– Thisinvolves the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells. The drug is injectedthrough a vein. Chemotherapy is often advised post-surgery to kill the leftovercancer cells.
Combination treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy iseffective in destroying cancer cells.
Nausea is the common side effect of chemotherapy but this could betreated well.
Targetedtherapy– Targeted therapy uses drugs that target specific genes involvedin the growth of cancer cells.
Palliativetreatment– When surgery is not possible due to the age of the patientand other associated medical conditions, palliative treatment is recommended bydoctors that include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy,medications.
8. How isLung cancer diagnosed?
Early screening is important to get the right diagnosis and besttreatment plan for better clinical outcomes and quick recovery.
Some lung cancers are accidently diagnosed while annual screening,but most of them are found due to signs and symptoms presented by patients.
You must consult your doctor for annual screening if you are asmoker or at risk of developing lung cancer.
As well as consult your doctor immediately if you have anysymptoms that is affecting or deteriorating your health.
Lung cancer diagnoses include
Doing a physical examination of the patient
Taking the medical history of the patient
Identifying the risk factors
Investigationslike–
CBC (Completeblood count )– CBC profile is a detailed investigation of the bloodchemistry of the patient.
Other bloodtests– This includes tests like the Liver function test, Kidneyfunction test to check the level of calcium and alkaline phosphatase.
Sputumexamination– It includes taking up the cough sample of the patient. Theinvestigation is carried out in the laboratory to check for the presence ofcancer cells. Further tests are recommended if the cancer cells are observed inthe sputum.
ChestX-ray- This is a simple, non-invasive test done to see thecondition of the lungs.
CT scan– ChestX-rays could miss some tumors, if the chest x-ray is suspicious, a CT scan isdone to get detailed information about the size of the tumor or if the tumorhas spread to other areas of the body.
MRIscan- MRI scan is recommended during the advanced stage of cancer,to look if cancer has metastasized and spread to the brain or parts of thebrain.
PETscan– PET scan is highly recommended in lung cancer patients. It isrecommended to see the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
Bonescan– Bone scan is recommended if the PET scan is not done for thepatients. However, a PET scan is advised these days to check for metastasis andeven as routine follow-up for patients.
Biopsy– Toconfirm the diagnosis of lung cancer biopsy is recommended for patients. Thetissue sample is collected from the patient and a test is done to classifycancer.
9. Final note–
Identifying cancer at an early stage provides a successfultreatment outcome.Sometimes lung cancer often presents with signs &symptoms during the early stage of lung cancer it should not be ignored at anycost.
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