Tests and Treatments for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a cancer that originates in the lungs. More than 220,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. And lung cancer causes more than 157,000 deaths annually, making it the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. Those most at risk are people aged 50 or older, who have a history of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking. However, people who have never smoked can also develop the disease due to past lung infections, environmental factors, and genetic predisposition.

Tests for Lung Cancer

1. Biopsy of Lung A lung needle biopsy is used to gather a piece of lung tissue for testing and examination. It is often used to diagnose an irregular area of tissue in or around the...  More

2. Sputum Cytology Sputum is a substance comprised of mucous, foreign matter, and saliva that is found in the lungs or bronchial tree. A sputum analysis is a group of tests performed ...  More

3. History and Physical Exam A physical examination is a routine test your doctor performs to check your overall health. It is also known as a wellness check. A physical examination helps your ...  More

4. Bronchoscopy with Transbronchial Lung Biopsy Brochoscopy is a simple medical procedure. It is used to see inside the lungs. Bronchoscopy can be combined with a procedure to collect pieces of lung tissue. This ...  More

5. Fine Needle Biopsy of Lung A lung needle biopsy is used to gather a piece of lung tissue for testing and examination. It is often used to diagnose an irregular area of tissue in or around the...  More

6. Bronchoscopy A bronchoscopy is a test that allows doctors to examine your airways. An instrument called a bronchoscope is threaded through your nose and down your throat to reac...  More

7. Chest CT with Contrast Computed tomography (CT) of the chest is performed to diagnose a variety of symptoms, including vascular, cardiac, airway disease as well as cancers that can occur ...  More

8. CT of Chest A computed tomography (CT) scan of your chest is a fast and noninvasive imaging test that takes multiple cross-section images of your heart, lungs, and chest wall. ...  More

9. CT Scan of Lung Computed tomography (CT) of the chest is performed to diagnose a variety of symptoms, including vascular, cardiac, airway disease as well as cancers that can occur ...  More

10. Pleural Biopsy The pleura is the membrane that lines the lungs and chest cavity. A pleural biopsy is the removal of pleural tissue for examination.  More

11. Chest X-Ray An X-ray is an imaging test that uses small amounts of radiation to produce pictures of the organs, tissues, and bones of the body. When focused on the chest, it ca...  More

12. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that allows doctors to check for disease in your body. The scan uses radioactive tracers in a special d...  More

13. Biopsy In some cases, your doctor may decide that he or she needs a sample of your tissue or your cells to help diagnose an illness or identify a cancer. This removal of t...  More

14. Complete Blood Count (CBC) Test A complete blood count, or CBC, is an easy and very common test that screens for certain disorders that can affect your health. A CBC measures several components of...  More

15. Pleural Fluid Analysis Pleural fluid analysis is also known as thoracentesis . It is a procedure used to drain excess fluid from the space outside of the lungs and inside of the chest cav...  More

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Surgical Procedures for Lung Cancer

1. Lobectomy A lobectomy is the removal of a lobe of one of the organs, usually referring to the brain, the lung, or the liver.  More

2. Surgical Removal of Tumor Tumor removal is a surgical procedure to remove an abnormal growth.  More

3. Partial Removal of Lung A lobectomy is the removal of a lobe, or section, of the lung.  More

4. Pneumonectomy Pneumonectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of a lung.  More

5. Wedge Resection

6. Removal of Mediastinal Lymph Node

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Medical Procedures for Lung Cancer

1. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is an aggressive form of chemical drug therapy meant to destroy rapidly growing cells in the body. It is usually used for cancer, as cancer cells grow ...  More

2. Radiofrequency Ablation

3. Intravenous chemotherapy

4. Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses concentrated radiation beams to kill cancer cells. The most common type of radiation therapy is external beam radi...  More

5. Brachytherapy Prostate seed implantation--also called brachytherapy--has become more and more popular in recent years as a treatment option for prostate cancer, and...  More

6. Palliative Cancer Therapy Palliative cancer therapy is treatment specifically directed to help improve the symptoms associated with terminal cancer.  More

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Prescribed Medications for Lung Cancer

1. bevacizumab(Avastin ) BEVACIZUMAB (be va SIZ yoo mab) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets a protein found in many cancer cell types, and halts cancer growth. This drug treats many cancers...  More

2. carboplatin(Paraplatin ) CARBOPLATIN (KAR boe pla tin) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to tre...  More

3. cisplatin(Platinol , others...) CISPLATIN (SIS pla tin) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to treat man...  More

4. cyclophosphamide(Cytoxan ) CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE (sye kloe FOSS fa mide) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like lymph...  More

5. docetaxel(Taxotere ) DOCETAXEL (doe se TAX el) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to treat m...  More

6. DOXOrubicin(Adriamycin , Adriamycin RDF) This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.  More

7. erlotinib(Tarceva ) ERLOTINIB (er LOE ti nib) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets a specific protein within cancer cells and stops the cancer cells from growing. This medicine is used t...  More

8. etoposide(VePesid ) ETOPOSIDE, VP-16 (e toe POE side) is a chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat small cell lung cancer and other cancers.  More

9. gefitinib(Iressa ) GEFITINIB (ge FI ti nib) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets a specific enzyme within cancer cells and stops the cancer cells from growing. It is used to treat advan...  More

10. gemcitabine(Gemzar ) GEMCITABINE (jem SIT a been) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and ova...  More

11. irinotecan(Camptosar ) IRINOTECAN (ir in oh TEE kan) is a chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat colon and rectal cancer.  More

12. mechlorethamine(Mustargen ) MECHLORETHAMINE (me klor ETH a meen) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lym...  More

13. methotrexate(Trexall , Rheumatrex Dose Pack) METHOTREXATE (METH oh TREX ate) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine affects cells that are rapidly growing, such as cancer cells and cells in your mouth and stoma...  More

14. mitomycin(Mutamycin ) MITOMYCIN (mye toe MYE sin) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine is used to treat cancer of the stomach and pancreas.  More

15. paclitaxel(Taxol , Onxol) PACLITAXEL (PAK li TAX el) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to treat ...  More

16. pemetrexed(Alimta ) PEMETREXED (PEM e TREX ed) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine affects cells that are rapidly growing, such as cancer cells and cells in your mouth and stomach. I...  More

17. porfimer(Photofrin ) PORFIMER is a light sensitizing drug that is used in photodynamic therapy (PDT). This medicine stays in tumor cells longer than it does in most healthy cells. This ...  More

18. topotecan(Hycamtin ) TOPOTECAN (TOE poe TEE kan) is a chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and cervical cancer.  More

19. vinBLAStine(Velban ) VINBLASTINE (vin BLAS teen) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like breast cancer, tes...  More

20. vinCRIStine(Oncovin , Vincasar PFS) VINCRISTINE (vin KRIS teen) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like Hodgkin's dis...  More

21. vinorelbine(Navelbine ) VINORELBINE (vi NOR el been) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to trea...  More

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Alternative Procedures for Lung Cancer What's this?

1. Acupuncture The practice of acupuncture originated in China 5,000 years ago. Today it is widely used throughout the world and is one of the main pillars of Chinese medicine. Th...  More

2. Deep Breathing Exercises Relaxation therapy is a broad term used to describe a number of techniques that promote stress reduction, the elimination of tension throughout the body, and a calm...  More

3. Massage Various forms of therapeutic superficial tissue manipulation have been practiced for thousands of years across cultures. Chinese use of massage dates to 1600 BC, an...  More

4. Meditation Various forms of meditation have been practiced for thousands of years throughout the world, with many techniques originating in Eastern religious practices. In mod...  More

5. Relaxation Therapy Relaxation techniques include behavioral therapeutic approaches that differ widely in philosophy, methodology, and practice. The primary goal is usually non-directe...  More

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Herbs and Supplements for Lung Cancer What's this?

1. Coriolus Protein-bound polysaccharide (PSK) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) since the Ming Dynasty of China. In the 1980s, the Japanese government approv...  More Efficacy Grade C

2. pyridoxine Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is required for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine and for myelin formation. Pyridoxine deficiency in adult...  More Efficacy Grade C

3. cyanocobalamin Vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble vitamin that is commonly found in a variety of foods such as fish, shellfish, meat, and dairy products. Vitamin B12 is fre...  More

4. hydroxocobalamin Vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble vitamin that is commonly found in a variety of foods such as fish, shellfish, meat, and dairy products. Vitamin B12 is fre...  More

5. vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is derived from two sources: preformed retinoids and provitamin carotenoids. Retinoids, such as retinal and retinoic ac...  More