Lung Cancer Treatment: Chemotherapy
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Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we offer innovative methods to deliver chemotherapy that can decrease the side effects of your lung cancer treatment.
Such chemotherapy delivery breakthroughs include fractionated-dose chemotherapy, in which we are able to administer chemotherapy drugs in smaller, more manageable doses rather than a large, single dose. Fractionated-dose chemotherapy is just one example of the leading chemotherapy practices that we utilize. Our doctors do everything in their power to help make your chemotherapy as tolerable as possible.
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to treat cancer. These drugs are designed to work by interfering with the rapidly dividing cancer cells in your body. Your doctors may suggest chemotherapy as a form of lung cancer treatment before or after surgery. Chemotherapy is usually administered intravenously (through the vein) or orally (in the form of pills). Your doctor may recommend a central port placement to help preserve your vein tissue from chemotherapy-related side effects.
Chemotherapy is used as a lung cancer treatment in three main ways:
- Neoadjuvant or primary systemic chemotherapy may be used before surgery to destroy cancer cells. It also allows your oncologist to determine the effectiveness of a particular lung cancer treatment regimen on your tumor.
- Adjuvant chemotherapy, used after surgery or radiation, may further target any possible cancer cells that were not removed during lung cancer surgery. It helps prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of your body.
- Systemic chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic lung cancer.
Doctors have a variety of ways to monitor the effects of chemotherapy on your cancer, including physical exams, blood tests, CT scans, MRI scans and X-rays.
Common side effects of chemotherapy are fatigue, hair loss, nausea and suppression of bone marrow function. Often, side effects can be treated and/or minimized by the conventional and complementary lung cancer treatment options we offer at CTCA. Supportive/complementary therapies that may help improve your quality of life include nutrition, naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and mind-body medicine. These therapies may be helpful before, during and after chemotherapy.
Next Topic: Fractionated-Dose Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer
