How to Explore Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer Treatment

Lung cancer most often occurs when patients are exposed to carcinogens which encourage the growth of abnormal cells or tumors on or in the lungs. One of the first types of treatment most patients with lung cancer explore is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of toxic drugs to kill abnormal cancer cells or prevent them from growing and spreading to other parts of the body.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Chemotherapy is often used in the treatment of both small cell and non-small cell lung cancers.

2. Most doctors prefer to use chemotherapy as the treatment of choice for small cell lung cancer. This type of cancer is usually aggressive and needs an equally aggressive form of treatment.

3. Chemotherapy is not generally used on its own for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Instead, doctors feel this treatment may be appropriate for prolonging survival or increasing the rate of success of other forms of treatment, such as surgery and radiation.

4. Chemotherapy can be given in pill form or intravenously. In some situations, a combination of the two methods may be used.

5. Ask your doctor how long you will be receiving treatment. Most chemotherapy patients receive a series of treatments over the course of several weeks or months. Normally, short breaks are taken in between each session.

6. Be prepared to deal with the side effects of chemotherapy, which may include hair loss, fatigue, nausea and mouth sores. You may want to cut back on your physical activities during treatment to let your body heal.

Tips & Warnings

• Know your rights as a patient. You have the right to be informed of all potential side effects of chemotherapy and be made aware of any medications which can alleviate these side effects.
• Ask your doctor about follow-up care after your course of chemotherapy has been completed.
• Pursuing chemotherapy may make you become depressed and withdrawn. You should speak to your doctor about your feelings, as there may be prescription medications available to boost your mood.

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