Early Lung Cancer Treatment

Early lung cancer treatment is crucial for survival. Early diagnosis remains difficult because there are no symptoms at first. You must rely on diagnostic tests.

Lung Cancer Tests

Some of the tests before early lung cancer treatment include:

• Chest x-ray. This is the most common test used when your doctor suspects lung cancer. A chest x-ray uses very little radiation and takes a two-dimensional picture of your lungs. Tumors may or may not be seen if they are too small.
• Computed Tomography Scan. This is known as a CT or CAT scan. This test gives a more detailed picture than an x-ray. CT scans can detect very small tumors called lesions or nodules. It also shows the lymph nodes around the lungs.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging. MRIs use magnetic fields to create very clear images of body parts. These include tissues, muscles, nerves and bones. The pictures may show the presence of any size tumor.
• Positron Emission Tomography Scan. A PET scan is used to determine if cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Before the PET scan you will receive an intravenous injection of sugar. Cells use sugar for energy to function. PET scans show “hot spots” as bright colored areas where a large amount of sugar has been used.
• Biopsy. Biopsies can confirm the presence of cancer. Small pieces of the suspicious tissue are removed and looked at under a microscope. The doctor determines the type of cell and any other abnormalities. Biopsies can be performed on the chest lining, the fluid in the chest cavity or the lungs themselves.
• Sputum Cytology. This test involves the collection of mucus that has been coughed up. The doctor then examines the mucus under a microscope looking for abnormal cells. The most effective method for this test is to collect and analyze the mucus each morning for three days.
• Bronchoscopy. This test involves putting a thin, flexible fiber optic tube through the nose and down into the lungs. At the end of the tube is a small camera that takes pictures of the lung tissue. Doctors are able to look directly into the airways and the lungs. Sometimes a needle can be inserted into the tube to obtain samples of a tumor or fluid.

Lung Cancer Treatments

Early lung cancer treatment may include one of the following procedures performed by a chest surgeon, also known as a thoracic surgeon:

• Thoracoscopy It is a minimally invasive procedure with a small incision that allows for examination of the surface of the lungs and the chest wall lining in question.
• Mediastinoscopy An endoscope (a thin, flexible tube) with a light attached is inserted into the throat. This is to determine whether there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes around the trachea (windpipe). This is performed under general anesthesia.
• Thoracentesis This is a procedure to remove fluid between the lungs and the chest wall using a needle. The doctor then does a biopsy to see if there are cancer cells.
• Fine-needle aspiration This procedure uses a thin needle inserted into a lymph node or a tumor to remove cells. This is usually performed with CT guidance or with endoscopic ultrasound through the throat or esophagus.

If a CT scan has revealed a nodule (a small tumor) on your lung, your doctor may want to perform surgery. There are several categories of surgery:

• Wedge resection This removes a small section of one lung
• Segmentectomy This removes a segment (part of a lobe) of one lung
• Lobectomy This removes an entire lobe of one lung. The right lung has three lobes and the left lung has two lobes. This surgery is the most common type of lung cancer surgery.
• Pneumonectomy This removes one lung completely

Radiation therapy is used for some lung cancer treatments. Radiation therapy:

• Can destroy cancer cells without surgery
• Can sometimes be given before or after surgery
• Can be done before, during, or after chemotherapy
• Can be very precise because of advances in CT imaging techniques

Chemotherapy treatment is another option your doctor may choose. There are a variety of drugs that may be given orally or by intravenous injection. An experimental drug given in a clinical trial may also be an option.

While trying to get an early lung cancer diagnosis, symptoms early on are rare but if any are spotted, can help an early detection of lung cancer and can thus help you get lung cancer treatment early as well. In cases of very early lung cancer, a new treatment is available at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. It is called photodynamic therapy. It treats lung cancer in the bronchial tubes. The National Cancer Institute has designated the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center as a comprehensive cancer center in recognition of the superiority of its programs and early detection protocols.

Lung Cancer Studies for Early Detection

The largest, long-term study recently done, shows that CT scans are beneficial in catching early lung cancer. The data was collected as part of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP). Researchers from 38 hospitals in seven countries studied more than 30,000 people over age 40 with a high risk of developing lung tumors.

Doctors identified 412 people with the smallest and earliest stage of lung cancer. At this stage lung cancer can be very curable; especially with surgery. The researchers estimate that 88% of these people would be alive in ten years because of the early treatment. The study authors say that CT screening can find more curable cancers. They suggest that the American Cancer Society revise its current guidelines to include CT screening as an early detection test.

In April 2009, the New York Times reported that lung cancer remains a low priority when it comes to cancer funding. This is in spite of the fact that lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the nation. Many people believe this is due to the "stigma" around lung cancer. And, that is because of its link to smoking.

In April 2009, NBC in the Philadelphia area reported the use of a robot in early lung cancer surgery. According to one of the doctors robotic surgery has fewer complications. Patients have less pain, shorter hospital stays, reduced risk of infection and recovery is faster. Traditional surgery involves cutting through the ribs.

In May 2009, Science Daily reported cancer vaccines and biomarkers as future treatment for early lung cancer. The first European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology met in Lugano, Switzerland. The immune-boosting vaccine is designed to help the immune system recognize MAGE-A3, a protein that is found on about 30% of lung cancers.

Finally, in June 2009, The China Post reported a new treatment system for early lung cancer patients. It uses a pioneering tracking system (Xsight) in conjunction with current Cyberknife technology. This method is most suitable for Stage I lung cancer patients with tumors that are less than three to five centimeters in diameter.

Written by Margaret Stenerson-Reynolds
07-07-09
Reviewed by Susan McCracken