Lung Cancer Cures - Is There One That Actually Works?

Existing Lung Cancer Cures

A lung cancer cure for all patients has yet to be developed. While survival rates for this disease are generally low, 'cures' are delivered to this small percentage through early detection and one of three common treatments. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are used alone or in conjunction with each other to eliminate or kill the cancer cells in the body.

Surgery

Surgical procedures are applicable to a small population of patients, about one in five. That said, surgery is used to remove tumors or body tissue and sometimes followed by a course of chemotherapy. Inoperable cases are when the disease has spread to vital organs or other structures of the body, and is more difficult to remove. The people who are ineligible for surgery, or need additional treatment to remove the cancer will undergo chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

Chemo

Chemo medication is given orally or intravenously. It improves life expectancy by killing cancer cells. Patients responding well to this treatment will receive fewer chemo courses and spend less time in the hospital. The well-documented side effects of this protocol, which include nausea and hair loss, can be managed by physician-adjusted doses and anti-emetic drugs.

Radiotherapy

Two types of radiotherapy are used to combat lung cancer. The first is radical therapy, which targets a contained tumor with high doses of radiation. The second uses lower radiation doses to relieve symptoms and improve the patient's lifestyle.

Palliative is meant to extend the life expectancy of a patient and is more widely used. Radical therapy hopes to obliterate the cancer while it is localized, and requires the patient to be in relatively good health. Evidence from the 'The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews'; 2010 Issue 9, suggests higher doses of palliative therapy are ineffective and lead to side effects from increased toxicity.

Experimental

Investigational vaccines and drugs are available to victims of this cancer. Clinical trials are conducted across the United States and internationally. Patients are encouraged to explore these options to increase their chances of survival. Future possibilities include the use of nano-technology, pinpoint radiation therapy and advanced detection and diagnosis methods. Always research a clinical trial thoroughly and consult with a doctor before participating.

I for one know there's a ton of lung cancer information scattered all around the web, and I know it can be somewhat depressing to go through much of it. I have compiled all that researched so it might benefit others. I put many months of research into a useful guide. There's no charge of course and I think you'll appreciate the simplicity of it. It's at MyLungCancerGuide.com. While you are there, you'll find this article about lung cancer cures and many other very straight forward, helpful articles.

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Is There a Lung Cancer Cure?

About 13 percent of all lung cancer is curable, meaning that those diagnosed with it survive for at least five years. Regardless, all patients with lung cancer can benefit from targeted treatments that can expand lifespan and improve quality of life.

Treatment options for a specific lung cancer cure depends upon the type and stage of the cancer. While a non-small cell cancer in an early stage may find a cure with surgery alone, a small cell cancer in a similar stage may require a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, and sometimes surgery as well. In both small cell and non-small cell lung cancers, an early stage indicates that the cancer is still localized and has not spread from where it originated, while a later stage signifies that the cancer has spread to other organs.

Surgery has the potential to cure lung cancer, but only in early stages in which the cancer has not spread outside the chest. Among the procedures employed to surgically remove cancer are: wedge resection, in which a small section of the lung, including the tumor, is removed; segmental resection, in which a larger section of the lung is removed; lobectomy, in which an entire lobe of one lung is removed; and pneumonectomy, in which the entire lung is removed. However, these procedures are only possible if the patient can tolerate the surgery and does not have additional complications such as severe bronchitis or heart disease.

Many small cell lung cancers are treated with chemotherapy, either alone or in combination with surgery. This therapy involves taking drugs that kill cancer cells. The drugs may be taken either orally, as a pill, or intravenously, through a vein in the arm, and involve multiple treatments over several weeks or months. Patients on chemotherapy need to take breaks from the therapy occasionally to allow their bodies to recover. Though chemotherapy has side effects like nausea, vomiting, and hair loss, it undoubtedly prolongs lifespan and improves quality of life for patients with lung cancer.

Radiation therapy is similar to chemotherapy in that it targets and kills cancer cells. But unlike chemotherapy, radiation therapy can work from outside the body, using high-powered radiation like X-rays to kill the disease. Another option is to use needles, seeds, or catheters inside the body to channel the radiation near the cancer cells. It is sometimes used at the same time as chemotherapy.

Certain drugs also exist on the market for curing or managing lung cancer. These products work by exploiting abnormalities in cancer cells.

A less conventional path to take for treatment of lung cancer is clinical trials. Patients can enroll in these studies and receive experimental treatments, a good option for those whose current treatment isn't working or who have limited treatment options. Each year, hundreds of lung cancer patients enroll in clinical trials; the data collected through this method of research is put to use in creating new therapies and treatments for the disease. Often, the goal of a clinical trial is simply to determine the benefit of one treatment over another.

If all these treatments fail or are not available for a treatment, the patient may opt for supportive care rather than searching for a cure. Instead of harsh or experimental treatments, supportive care can ease symptoms and comfort patients, allowing them to make the most of their remaining time without the burden of treatment side effects.

Adam Bradley is a book publisher of How-To and information books. While researching a lung cancer cure, he was shocked by the tremendous amount of bad information, scams, and bogus agencies. He felt that having to spend countless hours sorting articles and web pages just to find help during a period when time is of the essence was absurd. To help the victims and families of those exposed to asbestos, he and his research team compiled this information and offer a free 15 part Info-Course at: Asbestos Cancer Resources.com

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Cancer Remedies - If Medicine Can't Help Are There Any Natural Cancer Treatments?

It is devastating for someone to be told that medicine has run out of options and there is no more treatment that can be offered. Some patients adapt to what they consider the inevitable. However some people fight tooth and nail to have a longer period of time before they die. They want to explore every option. Is this realistic? Are there any cancer remedies or natural cancer treatments that have been shown to work?

The official medical answer to that is, no, or medicine would be using them. However it has to be acknowledged that there are some people who, despite their medical prognosis, do much better than expected, and most medical people have no idea why that is. Much research has been done but few doctors know of it and even fewer believe that it is their role to tell patients about it.

I was talking to a medical professor about the research which showed that cancer patients who exercised did much better, on average than those who didn't exercise and about other research which showed that psychological stresses lead to reduced immune function. He knew the research existed, but did not believe it was his role to tell people how to live their lives and so was very vague about the results.

When asked whether a woman with breast cancer would want to know that if she undertook three hours of moderate exercise a week she might cut the chance of future cancer problems in half, he just shrugged his shoulders. It was the same when asked if someone with high blood pressure might like to know that good social support helps regulate their cardiovascular system. He made some comment about such research coming up in the year 3 medical curriculum but there was no emphasis on it thereafter. It wasn't his role to go into the psychosocial mire of people's lives.

It was similar when we talked about diet. When presented with evidence that some foods can reduce the damage done by sunlight (hence a skin cancer preventive), other foods which reduced the chance of mutation damage, nutrients which helped the body attack the cancer cells, he drew himself up to his full height and said, "I very much doubt it." He turned away.

What is really sad is that this doctor is one who believes he is open to research, open to alternatives and there to meet the needs of his patients.

To be fair, there is a huge amount of research out there. It is impossible for one person to stay up to date in regards to every aspect of medicine. This is even more difficult for the family physician or general practitioner who must cover all disciplines. Most of them make do with the guidelines given to them by governments and drug companies.

There is also the huge impact of the pharmaceutical companies who provide instant answers to dealing with the patient in the consultation. If the patient can leave the surgery with a prescription, in very many cases, both practitioner and patient are happy.

A great many when faced with matters of severe illness need to trust their doctor and just accept what they are told.

However there are a group who remember the few that do much better than expected and the cases of miracles they hear about in their religious tradition and on the TV. Many of these want to know, in detail, everything possible which might improve their outcomes. Sadly few medical professionals can tell them.

But now with the internet and the huge amount of information online it is possible for people who need to know to find out what they can do to improve their chances of recovery. I do offer a word of warning. It is not likely that there is just one herb, or highland berry, or magical elixir which will make the difference in terminal disease. It is much more likely that your cancer remedy will be a mixture of a healing diet, exercise, good self care, a useful psychology, social support and a connection to nature and place.

The fact that some people do much better than expected indicates that there is a physiological process by which cancers can regress and sometimes disappear altogether. So do keep hope alive and in the meantime explore what improves your quality of life. As one of the survivors in my research said, "Quality, quality, make every second count."

Dr Harriet Denz-Penhey is an internationally recognized health researcher who has done groundbreaking research into patient self care in serious illness. The web site http://www.cancerremedies.org discusses aspects of natural cancer treatment and remedies for good general health.

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