Now the main cause of death in the world is lung cancer. More often the disease affects the elderly, but it also occurs in young people. Treatment is complex. Its constituent part is chemotherapy, which provides for the reception in lung cancer of special drugs designed to destroy pathological cells.
Course of chemotherapy for lung cancer
This method is used alone or in combination with surgical and radiotherapy. Such treatment is most effective in small-cell carcinoma, because it is sensitive to drugs. The fight against non-small-cell oncology is complicated by the fact that the disease is immune to therapy. Therefore, approximately 2/3 of patients with non-small-celled cancer undergo conservative treatment.
The essence of lung cancer treatment with chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is based on the introduction of patient medications that inhibit the growth of cancer cells. They, in turn, develop immunity to drugs, so repeated courses of treatment rarely have effectiveness. Therefore, now with chemotherapy against lung cancer, several drugs are injected, resulting in cells not being able to adapt.
The most common combinations of drugs are:
- Paclitaxel and carboplatin;
- Vinorelbine and Cisplatinum.
The drug is taken by intravenous injection or ingestion. Most often resort to the use of drip method of administration. Dosage is selected in accordance with the stage of the disease. After the treatment, take a break for three weeks to restore the body.
The consequences of chemotherapy for lung cancer
Patients already after the first course can feel the unpleasant consequences of therapy. Because the drugs have toxicity, the patient is disturbed by nausea, vomiting, constant fatigue, the appearance of sores around the mouth. There is oppression
The effectiveness of chemotherapy for lung cancer
The intensity of manifestations of side effects is not related to the result of treatment. Many are mistaken, believing that the more severe the complications, the better the treatment. Timely detection of the disease, the characteristics of the body, the availability of necessary equipment and qualified doctors determine the success of treatment. Depending on all these factors, the survival rate for this disease after a course of chemotherapy is between 40% and 8%.