Causes and symptoms of lung cancer

There are two main types of lung cancer namely the small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The SCLC is also known as oat cell cancer. Cancer can also arise from the supporting tissues such as blood vessels within the lungs. It can also develop from the pleura which are also called as mesotheliomas. 

One of the most common causes of lung cancer is prolonged exposure to smoking and tobacco. For the people who do not smoke, factors such as genetic transfers, exposure to random gases, passive smoking and hazardous air pollution can lead to the cause of lung cancer. 

The symptoms that may identify the lung cancer disease include dyspnea i.e. shortness of breath, chest pain or pain in the abdomen. Dysphonia is a symptom of lung cancer that leads to hoarse voice. Weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite are also some of the common symptoms of lung cancer. Dysphagia which refers to difficulty in swallowing is another symptom of lung cancer. Some other uncommon symptoms of lung cancer include wheezing and clubbing of the fingernails. 

The cancer that affects the bronchi and bronchioles that support breathing, leads to breathing problems. This may result in pneumonia and hemoptysis i.e. bleeding while coughing. If it spreads to brain then in that case the lung cancer may also lead to blur vision and seizures. If the lung cancer spreads to bones then it usually results in pain in the vertebrae, thigh bones and the ribs.

You can confirm about the lung cancer by going through biopsy and chest radiograph. The treatment method to be followed is decide by a number of factors including the type of cancer (SCLC or NSCLC), the stage in which it is detected as well as the personal well being of the patient. Cancer chemotherapy, surgery and radiology are some of the common treatments for curing lung cancer.

Patients suffering from this type of cancer are often given lung cancer chemotherapy as it is proved efficient to kill the cancer cells present in the lungs. A combination of different drugs is either given through pills or is injected in the veins of the patient in such conditions. However, though effective, lung cancer chemotherapy comes with side effects that may go away during or after the treatment is over. Some of the side effects of chemotherapy are hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc. It is advised to contact your doctor whenever any of these or any other side effects are experienced by the patients.

Chemotherapy for cancer patients

In early times, the sole treatment of cancer was surgery. But with the introduction of chemotherapy, it became easy to cure cancer. Chemotherapy for cancer patients is one of the best and renowned methods for the treatment of cancer. There are various types of chemotherapy that are given to the patients such as first line chemotherapy, second line chemotherapy, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy. The main aim of giving chemotherapy is to destroy the cancerous cells and stop the spreading of cancer to the other parts of the body.

Usually women suffer from breast cancer, which is one of the common diseases in the recent times. Breast cancer chemotherapy involves giving medicines to the patients orally as well as intravenously. The oral chemotherapy includes giving tablets or pills as prescribed by the surgeon and intravenous method includes giving medicine in the form of liquid that is injected directly into the bloodline of the patient. Sometimes medicines are combined and injected to the patient's veins directly, through a catheter. Usually chemotherapy is given to the patients with low dose in the early stage, but further on the dose is increased. The dose is usually increased when the patient is suffering from diseases like leukemia.

The process of chemotherapy is also followed by surgery so as to kill the cancerous cells, present in the patient’s body, permanently. Chemotherapy is also combined with hormonal therapy, radiation therapy as well as surgery. These therapies are used depending upon the stage of cancer the patient is suffering from. If the cancer is caught at the early stage, then it becomes easy to cure it. But as the stages move on, it becomes difficult for even the surgeons/doctors to cure it. The main disadvantage of cancer is that once it is enters the body of the person, it spreads at a faster pace, thus making it difficult to detect at its early stage.

Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Patients

Chemotherapy for breast cancer is type of treatment given to kill the cancerous cells present near the breast and its nearby region (if the cancerous cells have undergone metastasis). In this type of treatment, combination of different drugs is given in the form of pills, injections, etc., to kill the cancerous cells. 

Breast cancer chemotherapy can be given in adjuvant or neo adjuvant form. It can be given before or after surgery or can be combined with radiation therapy. The way breast cancer chemotherapy is given depends on the stage and type of breast cancer, extent to which the cancerous cells have spread in the patient’s body and the age and health of the patient.

This type of treatment is usually given in cycles that may continue for several weeks or months. These cycles are usually followed by a rest period of 2-3 days or a week, depending on the type of chemotherapy cycle and dosage of drug the patient is prescribed by the doctor. The most common method of giving chemotherapy for breast cancer is in the form of one-day treatment, where the chemotherapy drug is given once in three weeks to the patient. The total duration of this type of treatment varies from 3 to 6 months.

Though a low dose of breast cancer chemotherapy is given, the patient suffers from the side effects of chemotherapy drugs during or after the treatment is over. Some of these side effects include: hair loss, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting, bleeding, low blood counts, etc. The side effects due to chemotherapy drugs do not tend to cause complications and generally disappear after the treatment is over.

Systematic Chemotherapy- An effective treatment

Cancer chemotherapy is a treatment used to weaken and destroy the cancer cell in the body. Cancer can also be treated using other methods like surgery, radiation and a combination of these treatments. Systematic chemotherapy is also an effective treatment used for treating cancer.

In systematic chemotherapy treatment we make use of injections and prescribed drugs in the form of pills. The anticancer drugs are injected directly into a vein or a muscle or they are taken orally. These drugs then enter the blood stream and reach all the areas of the human body, thus making the treatment quite effective and useful.

Along with breast cancer chemotherapy, systematic chemotherapy also has the efficiency to destroy the cancer cells completely if traced at an initial stage. The pain of many different types of cancer such as breast cancer, lung cancer, throat cancer, etc, can be reduced through this treatment. It is also very helpful in shrinking the tumors so that it can be removed later using through surgery. To enhance the rate of recovery, it can be coupled along with radiation therapy.

Most cancer chemotherapy treatments are given on an outpatient basis, i.e. either in a doctor’s chamber or a clinic or a hospital. But, for the systematic chemotherapy treatment the patient has to be taken to the hospital. This treatment cannot be taken at your home. In the advanced stage the cancer patient is required to be hospitalized for some time and depending upon the stage of cancer, the doctor prescribes the treatment.

The main aim of systematic chemotherapy is to obstruct the growth of cancerous cells and avoid them from spreading to other parts of the body. But, during the chemotherapy treatment, along with the cancer cells the normal cells also get damaged, which is one of the main reasons for the chemotherapy side effects. These side effects also depend on the type of cancer and the dose of drugs that are given to the patient. It also depends on the length of the time they are consumed.

However, these side effects are temporary and generally disappear after the treatment is over and done with. Some of the common chemotherapy side effects include hair loss, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, loss of appetite and lowered resistance to infection and diseases.