Approximately two thirds of patients with lung cancer occur in people who have either quit smoking or never smoked, this dispelling the myth that only people who smoke get cancer.
When people have cancer in the lungs, it is either primary or metastatic. Primary cancer began in the lungs and is made up of lung cells. Metastatic cancer is cancer in the lungs but did not start in the lungs. Rather, cancer started somewhere else in the body and traveled to the lungs. Metastatic cancer is made of cells from the primary cancer site. Because these two types of cancers are made of different kinds of cells, primary and metastatic cancers in the lungs are treated differently.
When patient are diagnosed with lung cancer, there are a number of treatment options including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Most of the time, patients receive a combination of all three treatments with chemotherapy and radiation administered before or after surgery. This decision is made based on the location and stage of the cancer and is made by the oncologist and surgeon in consultation with the patient.
For patients whose lung cancer is diagnosed early, surgery before other treatments can be beneficial is the tumor appears confined to an area of the body that is removable). When cancer is diagnosed later, surgery alone becomes less effective and patients usually need several kinds of treatment. While surgery may still be an important part of the treatment plan, however chemotherapy and or radiation therapy may need to come first. For patients whose cancer has progressed to its final stages, palliative surgery can make the patient more comfortable, such as if a tumor is obstructing an airway.
For patients undergoing surgery, there are two options: traditional, open surgery or minimally invasive. In traditional surgery, a surgeon makes an incision on the patient's side to gain access to the tumor. The incision can be 5 to 7 inches long and requires spreading the patient's ribs to gain access to the tumor.
Minimally invasive surgery is performed through two incisions which are about two to four centimeters long. Without the need for rib spreading, the surgeon inserts a camera into one incision and projects the inside of the body onto a 26 inch flat screen high definition monitor. Then, the surgeon inserts instruments through the second incision and watches the screen to perform the surgery. This surgery is sometimes called video assisted thoracic surgery, or VATS.
Patients who undergo minimally invasive surgery experience fewer complications and a shorter hospital stay than those who have traditional open surgery. In addition, patients are in the hospital for less time (generally 24-48 hours) and they recover faster with less pain because their ribs were not spread. When patients recovery more quickly, they are able to either return to their normal lives in less time or begin post operative chemotherapy more quickly.
When people have cancer in the lungs, it is either primary or metastatic. Primary cancer began in the lungs and is made up of lung cells. Metastatic cancer is cancer in the lungs but did not start in the lungs. Rather, cancer started somewhere else in the body and traveled to the lungs. Metastatic cancer is made of cells from the primary cancer site. Because these two types of cancers are made of different kinds of cells, primary and metastatic cancers in the lungs are treated differently.
When patient are diagnosed with lung cancer, there are a number of treatment options including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Most of the time, patients receive a combination of all three treatments with chemotherapy and radiation administered before or after surgery. This decision is made based on the location and stage of the cancer and is made by the oncologist and surgeon in consultation with the patient.
For patients whose lung cancer is diagnosed early, surgery before other treatments can be beneficial is the tumor appears confined to an area of the body that is removable). When cancer is diagnosed later, surgery alone becomes less effective and patients usually need several kinds of treatment. While surgery may still be an important part of the treatment plan, however chemotherapy and or radiation therapy may need to come first. For patients whose cancer has progressed to its final stages, palliative surgery can make the patient more comfortable, such as if a tumor is obstructing an airway.
For patients undergoing surgery, there are two options: traditional, open surgery or minimally invasive. In traditional surgery, a surgeon makes an incision on the patient's side to gain access to the tumor. The incision can be 5 to 7 inches long and requires spreading the patient's ribs to gain access to the tumor.
Minimally invasive surgery is performed through two incisions which are about two to four centimeters long. Without the need for rib spreading, the surgeon inserts a camera into one incision and projects the inside of the body onto a 26 inch flat screen high definition monitor. Then, the surgeon inserts instruments through the second incision and watches the screen to perform the surgery. This surgery is sometimes called video assisted thoracic surgery, or VATS.
Patients who undergo minimally invasive surgery experience fewer complications and a shorter hospital stay than those who have traditional open surgery. In addition, patients are in the hospital for less time (generally 24-48 hours) and they recover faster with less pain because their ribs were not spread. When patients recovery more quickly, they are able to either return to their normal lives in less time or begin post operative chemotherapy more quickly.
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