Adenocarcinoma comprises about 40 percent of cancers diagnosed in the lungs today. It can start in one lung and grow in spots throughout the lung, sometimes invading both lungs. The disease can spread quickly to other vital parts of your body, including the brain, liver and bones. It must be caught early for treatment to begin in order to have the best prognosis. Of course, treatment depends on how large the tumors are and how far the cancer has spread.
Surgery
If you have adenocarcinoma and it is caught early, surgery will most likely be your doctor's choice of treatment. In addition to surgery, you may have to undergo other treatments to help fight the disease.
During the surgical procedure, depending on the size of the tumor and its location, the doctor may remove part of a lobe in your lung, all of a lobe or all of one lung. He also will take biopsies of lymph nodes to check for metastasis (spreading).
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a fairly common treatment for adenocarcinoma, especially if it is more advanced. The chemo works on cancer cells as well as healthy cells. Some of the side effects inlude extreme stomach upset, loss of hair, mouth sores and weakness and fatigue. The chemo may be used in combination with other treatments like surgery and radiation.
Chemotherapy is either injected into your bloodstream or given orally. You might have more than one medicine acting in the chemo treatments, and you may have to undergo chemo for quite awhile.
Radiation
Radiation is used to try to decrease the tumor's size. If your doctor is concerned about metastasis, he may want you to undergo radiation for your brain to try to stop tumors from growing. Radiation is aimed at the lungs. Not only can radiation be aimed in from the outside, but doctors can inject radiation into you, near the area of the cancer. Radiation can be used together with chemotherapy or surgery.
Medications
If your cancer is more advanced, there are two other options that are relatively new to the field. Avastin works to inhibit blood from going to the tumor. If the tumor tries to pave the way for more blood to get in, this drug will help to put a stop to this. Another drug that is used, especially if chemo hasn't helped, is Tarceva. This medication helps put a stop to the cancer cells' growth: "it blocks chemicals that signal the cancer cells to grow and divide" (Mayo Clinic).
Palliative Care
If your cancer is so advanced that it cannot be helped or if it has not responded to any treatments that you have undergone, you might choose to forgo any more treatments and receive comfort measures. These comfort measures will be available to help you gain relief from any of the pain or effects you might be feeling from your illness, but they will not stop the cancer from progressing or spreading. They will simply be there to help you to enjoy your last few weeks or months of being alive with family and friends.
Naturopathic/Homeopathic Treatments
If you are undergoing treatments, you might want to add some naturopathic treatments to your regimen in order to make you feel more comfortable and help relieve some of the stress and effects that go along with a diagnosis and treatment of cancer. These might include stress-relieving techniques, such as acupuncture, visual imagery, exercise and massage. Other naturopathic treatments include nutritional changes in your lifestyle. Eating plenty of raw vegetables and fruits provides nutrients that can help to strengthen your immune system and give you more strength through your illness. Avoiding sugar is a must, as sugar helps to feed the cancer. Supplementing your diet with important vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folic acid and modified citrus pectin can be of great value. It's also important to give yourself a chance to relax; get as much rest as possible.
Tags: cancer cells, caught early, comfort measures, have undergo, more advanced, naturopathic treatments, other treatments
