Lung Cancer – Stages and Treatment Options

Lung Cancer – Stages and Treatment Options

Lung cancer is one of the most unpleasant forms of cancer. Due to the large size of the lungs, tumors can grow in them for significantly long periods before being detected. The symptoms of lung cancer include coughing and fatigue. It is difficult to identify this disease by these symptoms alone, and thus, it is hard to get an early diagnosis. There are two types of lung cancer – non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. The stages of lung cancer depend on whether cancer has spread from the lungs to other organs, the lymph nodes, or whether it is still local. Early diagnosis of lung cancer can help in treating this condition effectively. Nevertheless, people with lung cancer do have access to various treatment options. Before we get to these treatment options, let’s understand the two types of lung cancer, their stages, and how they affect people in the country.

Non-small cell lung cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 85% of all lung cancer cases in the country. Adenocarcinoma, a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, is the most common form, followed by squamous cell carcinoma (25%) and large cell carcinoma (10%).

Stages of non-small cell lung cancer

Stage I:   Cancer is local and has not spread to the lymph nodes yet.

Stage II:  Cancer has started spreading to other areas of the lungs as well as the lymph nodes nearby.

Stage III:  In this stage of the disease, cancer spreads to the middle of the chest, the lymph nodes, and the lungs. It is also known as “locally advanced disease.” It has two subtypes.

  • If cancer has spread to the lymph nodes present on the same side of the chest where cancer originated, it is called stage IIIA.
  • If cancer has spread to the lymph nodes present on the other side of the chest, or just above the collarbone, it is called stage IIIB.

Stage IV:  This is the most advanced form of cancer. It refers to the stage where cancer has spread to the lungs, liver, and other organs, as well as to the fluid in the area around the lungs and other parts of the body.

Treatment

  • Surgery: Stage I and II non-small cell lung cancers are treatable by removing the tumor in the lungs. The surgeon removes the section or lobe of the lung that has the tumor. It is the best treatment option for stage I and stage II lung cancer.
  • Chemotherapy and radiation: People who are undergoing surgery to remove the tumor are advised to get chemotherapy after the procedure. Doctors would particularly recommend this for people who have stage II or stage IIIA lung cancer. For tumors that cannot be removed via surgery (stage III and stage IV), chemotherapy and radiation are the best treatment options to cure lung cancer.
  • Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is an exciting development in lung cancer treatment. It makes use of the patient’s immune system to treat lung cancer. It fights against dangers like infections and viruses as well as growing cancer cells.

Small cell lung cancer
Small cell lung cancer accounts for around 15 percent of the total lung cancer cases in the country. It tends to spread more quickly than non-small cell lung cancer but is more responsive to chemotherapy.

Stages of small cell lung cancer

Limited stage: The cancer is present on one side of the chest and involves just one part of the lung as well as the lymph nodes that are nearby.

Extensive stage: Cancer has spread to other areas of the chest as well as other regions of the body.

Treatment

  • Chemotherapy and radiation: Chemotherapy is an essential part of small cell lung cancer treatment. Radiation treatment may also be used, depending on the stage of cancer. For limited stage small cell lung cancer, chemotherapy in combination with radiation is the best option. For people who have extensive stage small cell lung cancer, chemotherapy alone is the best lung cancer treatment option.
  • Surgery: Surgery may be a good option for people who have limited stage small cell lung cancer without tumors in the lymph nodes. Patients also undergo chemotherapy after getting surgery.

If one gets diagnosed with lung cancer, they must get immediate treatment for this condition. It is relatively easy to treat lung cancer in the early stages. However, it is difficult to detect early-stage lung cancer, which further complicates matters. One can explore the lung cancer treatment options mentioned above and take a doctor’s advice regarding the best treatment for them.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.