Lung Cancer Treatment

Question: Average life span stage 4 lung cancer without treatment? My mother-in-law has been battling stage 4 lung cancer for a year and a half. As of yesterday, she is off all forms of chemo. How long can we expect her to live?

Answer: According to this site I looked at, 8 months or less.

Question: What is the cause and treatment for lung cancer? Our pastor's wife has lung cancer.I just wander.She doens't smoke.

Answer: MAYBE SHE WAS AROUND SECOND HAND SMOKE AS A CHILD???TREATMENT CAN BE RATHER YUK BUT ILL PRAY FOR HER DID SHE EVER WORK ANYWHERE WHERE SHE WAS EXPOSED TO ANYTHING

Question: How long can someone live with stage 4 lung cancer without treatment?

Answer: Depends on the person and the extent of the stage iv. I was told I had 2-4 months without treatment, perhaps a year with chemo.. I've so far survived 3 years with stage iv, with the help of two cycles of chemo.

Question: What are the side effects and warnings for an experimental Cancer treatment called Tarmerac for lung cancer?

Answer: First of all, that's why it's an experimental cancer treatment. They don't know the side effects yet. That only happens when they get people who are willing to take part in the trials. You get the drug for free, then they monitor you carefully for any reaction. That's where the side effects come in. Any and all side effects no matter how bad or not bad they are must be recorded. If they test this drug on say, 100 people and only 1 out of the 100 experiences something strange, it still has to be recorded as a possible side effect. So you probably tried to look this drug up on line and found nothing and you won't, no one will because it is just and experimental treatment right now. This is why they can't even tell the public right now of any possible side effects because the test are not completed. Are you going to take part in this trial?

Question: stage 3 lung cancer treatment and longivity in the present day of Nov. 12, 2008? How long does a person have when diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer?

Answer: That is question that has no exact answer. Stage III lung cancer actually is a bit of a fork in the road in treatment for those with non-small cell lung cancer (adenocarcimona, squamous cell carcinoma etc...). A patient with stage IIIa disease is still technically a surgical candidate and may be operated upon and therefore have a small chance of cure. A patient with stage IIIb NSCLC on the other hand is not a surgical candidate and is relinquished to medical care meaning radiation and chemotherapy. These people do worse than those in the IIIa group. All patients with small cell lung cancer are precluded from surgery and are relinquished to medical care. To be exact, medical literature currently indicates that 10-40% of people with stage IIIa NSCLC will be alive at 5 years, depending on degree of lymph node involvement. A person with stage IIIb NSCLC has a 5 year rate of survival at or just less than 5%. There are virtually no survivors at 5 years from small cell lung cancer, rates are less than 5%. I hope that helps.

Question: Terminal lung cancer, treatment stopped, how long to live? My father has terminal lung cancer. It has progressed to the point that the doctor have stopped treatment, have him in the ICU (clots) and each day his chest xrays just look worse and worse. He has an oxygen mask on and his vitals continue to be weak. He struggles to stay awake cause he completely fears death. Does anyone know of anyone who has held on this long... and how long could he continue to hold on? he cant be moved right now to Hospice because when he sits up or stands his heart rate plummets. Plus we found out today that his body is forming antibodies against the anti-clotting medication... Its very sad. I am 6 months pregnant and several states away, my doctor cannot clear me to go see him becuase I am very high risk and require weekly shots and evals. It is very hard and I feel very helpless and useless. He even told me not to travel but its so hard.

Answer: God Bless you. My dad died of lung cancer this month. No one knew he had it except his wife. He was diagnosed last May, if that gives you some kind of a time line. You need to say everything you want to say, I didn't get to do this, because I didn't know he was dying. Please don't let him die with you having any regrets. I wish you all the best of luck. Have you thought of making a DVD with you talking on it, and telling him how you feel? It might make him feel closer to you, since you cannot visit. I will pray for you and your family.

Question: what is the success rate for the treatment of lung cancer? its for a project...NEED AN A!!! oh ya and also who is working on finding a cure and how succesful have they been and Who is most susceptable?

Answer: Smokers are most susceptible, though some others exposed to noxious substances are also. Cure depends on the type of cell involved. All the other info is involved, but here is a link to a site that will help.

Question: Consequnce of missing a radiation treatment , for a lung cancer patient ? My Aunt ( in another state ) , was "too tired" to go get her radiation treatment , of which she gets five per week . Is this going to offset her whole treatment ? She is also on chemo pills -with a slow growing cancer that is in both lungs and lymph nodes .

Answer: Having been through the entire process myself - I recall I missed out on my radiation for almost a week as the only linear accelarater machine at the hospital broke down. I restarted my radiation and chemo at another hospital, not knowing when the machine would be repaired and the radiation could not wait. Missing out a week was ok - but I really do not imagine any doctor would even suggest that. In fact most oncologists clearly state the details of continuity for the radiation and the chemo as at the end of the ordeal - thats what is going to determine the success or failure. If your Aunts cancer has been detected in its early stages, it will more then likely be cured without too many problems. I wish her well. Caprichoso. PS - mI am not a doctor

Question: Has anyone use a RIFE MACHINE for their lung cancer treatment? If so, at what frequency and for how long?

Answer: I hope nobody is relying on this long-discredited piece of quackery. These devices are based on the false notion that disease-causing agents and diseased tissues emit radio-like frequencies that can be detected and cured by matching their frequencies Royal Raymond Rife believed that that cancer was caused by bacteria (it isn't). During the 1920s, he claimed to have developed a powerful microscope that could detect living microbes by the colour of auras emitted by their vibratory rates. His Rife Frequency Generator supposedly generated radio waves with precisely the same frequency, causing the offending bacteria to shatter in the same manner as a crystal glass breaks in response to the voice of an opera singer. He sincerely believed in it, but it's nonsense. Unfortunately wherever there's cancer there's a greedy charlatan willing to part desperate and vulnerable people from their cash in exchange for ineffective quack treatments, and the Rife machine is now one such scam. http://www.healthwatcher.net/Quackerywatch/Cancer/Cancer-news/smh001230rife-aus.html http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/books/reviews/bl_rife.htm http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/News/rife.html

Question: does anyone know the survivor rate for lung cancer with and without treatment? was diagnosed with lung cancer 10/10/07. Will begin treatment this week. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Answer: any survival rates given here with the information you have given would be very vague and could be misleading, lung cancer is an aggressive cancer and can spread quickly...... it depends on many factors.... operable/non operable, any secondaries ? state of the persons overall health other than the cancer?....small cell/non small cell..... treatments offered? I would have a chat with your oncologist for a more accurate answer.... best wishes and good luck

Question: lung cancer treatment? After given chimotherapy for small cell lung cancer, if person is living a healthy normal life for allmost 5 year, is there still any reason to worry about?

Answer: It depends on the stage at diagnosis and if the person was a smoker or not.

Question: Are there any cures, treatment, and prevention of Lung Cancer? Any cure for Lung Cancer? ): Any treatment? Any prevention? THANK YOU! xx

Answer: Most lung cancers that are cured are done so by surgical resection. The chance of cure and what treatment options there are depend on the kind of cancer it is and the stage of the disease. Not smoking does not prevent lung cancer. It will decrease your risk for it, but it does not prevent it. There is no way to prevent it or any other kind of cancer.

Question: Should we pay for smokers lung cancer treatment? Or should we make them pay?? What about a combination... like a user fee, where someone who smokes will be required to pay 20% of the treatment cost.... gotta think that people would think twice before smoking if smoking related illnesses were not covered

Answer: Well, almost everyone is on that bandwagon. Do we pay for treatment for drug addiction? Yes. Do we pay for treatment for alcohol addiction? Yes. How about treatment for people with heart disease because they're so fat they can barely move? Yes. How about knee replacement for the same people, who are carrying around so many pounds that their knees give out? There's no end to the list of ailments that people cause themselves. And yes, we all end up paying for it, through insurance costs and rising medical costs. Society is not qualified to decide who will receive medical care and who will not, based on what they may or may not like. Nor are lawmakers.

Question: where can i get lung cancer treatment info ?

Answer: Once the stage of the lung cancer has been determined, the oncology team & the patient work together to create a treatment plan. it is important for lung cancer patients to discuss the value of different forms of therapy with their oncologist. Other factors that affect lung cancer treatment include the patient's general health, medical conditions that can affect treatment (such as chemotherapy), & tumor characteristics. Treatment for lung cancer depends on a variety of factors. The most important factors are the histopathologic (diseased tissue) type of lung cancer & the stage of the cancer. Surgical resection (cutting away) of the tumor generally is indicated for cancer that has not spread beyond the lung. Surgery for lung cancer may be conducted using a variety of techniques. Thoracotomy, which is performed throught the chest wall, & median sternotomy, which is performed by cutting through the breastbone, are standard methods used for lung cancer surgery. Characteristics of the lung tumor are used to help separate patients in to eight groups: patients who're at low risk for cancer recurrence & patients who're at high risk for cancer recurrence. Specific prognostic—disease-forecasting—factors are used to place patients in either of these groups. In particular, the histopathologic groupings of small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) versus non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) may be used to better predict a patient's prognosis & expected response to therapy. Alternative approaches include anterior limited thoractomy (ALT), which is performed on the frontal chest using a small incision; anterioraxillary thoracotomy (AAT), which is performed on the frontal chest near the underarm; & posterolateral thoracotomy (PLT), which is performed on the back/side region of the trunk. ALT, in particular, is less invasive than standard thoractomy—that is, this procedure involves less disturbance of the body than large incisions or other intrusive measures. ALT may result in less blood loss during & after surgery, less postoperative drainage, & less postoperative pain than standard thoracotomy. However, some physicians caution that VAT does not permit complete lung examination to identify & remove metastases that are not detected by preoperative chest x-ray. VAT is perhaps most appropriate for Stage 1 & Stage 2 cancers that require lobectomy (surgical removal of a lung lobule) with lymphadenectomy (removal of eight or more lymph nodes) & for peripheral (outer edge) lung tumors that can be removed by wedge resection. In such cases, follow-up is required to establish a long-term prognosis. Recently, surgeons have developed other less invasive procedures for the removal of cancerous lung tissue. For example, video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT), also known as video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), involves using a video camera to help visualize & operate on the lung within the chest cavity. The surgical incisions made during VAT are much smaller than those required for thoracotomy or sternotomy. Unfortunately, surgical procedures can cause a condition called lymphocytopenia—low number of lymphocytes (white blood cells) in the blood—which is linked to shorter survival times among patients with advanced lung cancer. Lymphocytopenia may be related to a deficiency in interleukin-2 (IL-2), a hormone that controls the activity of T lymphocytes (thymus-dependent lymphocytes). Preoperative treatment with recombinant human interleukin-2 (rhIL-2) may help to prevent the decrease in lymphocytes that occurs after surgery for operable lung cancer. Computed tomography (CT) scans also have been added to VAT technology to improve lung cancer surgery. Experts have found that percutaneous (through the skin) CT-guided localization wires can help to identify tumorous lung nodules. In this way, wires are used to assist VAT in cases that require sublobectomy resection (partial removal of a lung lobe). If the tumor is aggressive and/or widespread, chemotherapy, radiotherapy (radiation therapy), & other therapies may be used in addition to or instead of surgery to treat lung cancer. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) often is used to treat inoperable lung cancer. Photodynamic therapy involves the injection of a light-activated drug (e.g., photofrin/polyhaematoporphyrin, lumin). Then, during bronchoscopy (examination of the airways using a flexible scope), the lung tumor is illuminated by a laser fiber that transmits light of a specific wavelength. At that time, the laser light is used to destroy the sensitized tumor tissue. Skin photosensitivity (light sensitivity) is a side effect of PDT. http://lung-cancer-treatment-info.blogspot.com/

Question: non-small lung cancer treatment complete,what next...? I had the lower lobe of right lung removed, 2 of 6 samples came back positive, had 4 sessions of cemo. Last one on 7-6-07, taken every 3 weeks,My question is,what would be some good was to get into shape,concedering I smoked for 30 years and just quit 3 mounths be for the cancer was found"Praise GOD that I have not smoked one sence and have no desire to"

Answer: The best thing you can do is to follow your doctors advice, do not smoke again, do exercises with a schedule in accordance with your physio, and take a balanced diet, with plenty of green leafy veges and fruits .. preferably citrus fruits. And follow your regular check up schedule, as advised by your doctor.

Question: what are the long term effects from taking platinol,taxotere for treatment of lung cancer? my father is taking platinol and taxotere for his cancer he has had raidation and kemo for the past seven months and was woundering if there is any long term effects from these drugs. and if so how long will they last.

Answer: I had chemo last fall, one of which was taxotere. Some people have no side effects. I did have some damage to the nerve endings in my extremities (hands and feet), but I'll tell ya... I'd rather have those side effects than not have survived the cancer! Its all a balancing act. Which would you rather deal with... the cancer, or the side effects? I chose the side effects. There are some good sites on the web, like the Mayo Clinic, etc.