Targeted therapy and lung cancer

Statiscal reports show that the survival rates of patients suffering from lung cancer is extremely low and thus it is considered to be a dire ailment to suffer from. The normal survival rate for the patients with lung cancer is scaled to be on a 5 year measure. This disease can be cured if it is discovered in its early incubation stage. Treatment at this level also has the minimal side effects as opposed to any other stage of treatment. Chemical radiations are harmful and invasive.

They cause a lot of side effects which has a prolonged effect in the patient. Lasers are extremely useful in producing highly intense, concentrated radiations in a general region. This clearly satisfies the paradigm of cancer treatment and they are gaining popularity every day. Laser therapy is the least painful method available till date for cancer treatment. Ironically, the number of cancer patients all around the world is multiplying every day, just like the cancer cells themselves. Thus laser treatment and targeted therapy are becoming ever so significant .

Lung cancer is a horrible disease. It is extremely painful and difficult to cope up with. The unfortunate individuals suffering from this chronic ailment deserve love, care, support and affection. We all are bound by love and we have the responsibility to take care of our dear ones. We have to find time out of our lives and show them our support. We have to give them a helping hand through their struggle for survival.

This will have a positive effect on them psychologically and motivate them. Before deciding to help an affected patient, we must keep certain things in mind. We must basically educate ourselves about the disease. We must have complete knowledge about the symptoms, epidemic nature of the disease, side effects and emergency treatments. We must know all about the drugs and medications that must be given to the patient. We can gather this knowledge from the patient’s doctor and we must be devoted to our task. We must be alert to their feelings both physical and mental feelings.

Alcohol has deep relationship with the development of lung cancer. The risk of a person developing lung cancer increases with consumption of high levels of alcohol. This may differ with gender and the type of alcohol being consumed. For men, the risk is higher for those who consume beer and hard liquor heavily, without considering their smoking history. The risk is higher for those men who consume very small servings of fruits and vegetables.

However studies have shown that women in this category showed lower risks of developing lung cancer. The type of alcohol being consumed also has a significant role. Those people who consume more than a beer or serving of hard liquor on a daily basis have higher risks of developing lung cancer as compared to those who consume moderate amounts of wine. Ethnic background seems to have an effect on a person drinking alcohol and developing lung cancer as per recent studies. It was observed that no such association was found in the Chinese population.

Cancerous cells in the lungs keep multiplying at all points of time. The rate at which they multiply is staggering and it cannot be controlled very easily. The process of chemotherapy works mainly because it interferes with the cell division of these cancerous cells. However in this process it also starts affecting the division and growth of other normal cells like hair follicles, bone marrow etc.

Chemotherapy affects the bone marrow by slowing down the production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The digestive system may be affected in the form of nausea, diarrhoea, dehydration and loss of appetite. Another side effect of chemotherapy is fatigue and even basic activities require effort. The most distressing side effect is hair loss that begins in a week of commencement of the therapy and starts to grow back in 6-8 weeks after completion of the therapy. Forms of oral side effects are mouth sores and taste changes.