5 common types of lung cancer treatments

Lung cancer needs no introduction as it has been one of the most common cancers in the United States in recent times. Once detected with this condition, there should not be any delay in starting with a lung cancer treatment. Any lung cancer treatment depends on the type of lung cancer. Depending on this factor and the stage of the cancer, a doctor can suggest a suitable lung cancer treatment plan.

• Surgery: One of the most effective methods of metastatic NSCLC treatments is the surgical removal of the tumor. The surgeon will remove the cancerous tissues and a margin of the healthy tissues. The lymph nodes too would be removed to examine whether the cancer has spread to it. Within a few days, the remaining lung tissue will expand allowing breathing without any difficulty.
• Chemotherapy: This lung cancer treatment method uses drugs to kill the cancer cells. The drugs can be injected into veins or taken orally for a definite period. Sometimes, the doctor may advise chemotherapy drugs after the surgical procedure to help destroy any remaining cancer cells.
• Radiation: When surgery under metastatic lung cancer treatments is not possible in patients, the doctor may advise a treatment that combines chemotherapy and radiation. Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy beams from multiple sources to kill the cancer cells. It is sometimes used in patients to alleviate the pain and other symptoms of lung cancer.
• Targeted drug therapy: It is one of the recent additions to lung cancer treatment methods. It works by targeting specific abnormalities that are discovered in the cancer cells. This type of targeted therapy works better in people with genetic disorders. The commonly used methods in targeted therapy include Bevacizumab, Ceritinib, Nivolumab, Erlotinib, Crizotinib or Xalkori lung cancer treatment, etc. Xalkori lung cancer treatments are used for treating cancer caused by the mutation of a particular gene.
• Immunotherapy: This is yet another treatment method which strengthens the body’s defense mechanism to fight against the cancer cells.