Effective Treatments For Lung Cancer
By Logan Pallas
Considered the most deadly of cancers, Lung cancer does not present any symptoms until it is well advanced. This reduces the success rate of treatments. In the United States, over 170,000 Americans are diagnosed annually. Smoking, along with other environmental exposures, is a causative agent in contracting lung cancer. Surprisingly, causes more cancer deaths in women than even breast cancer.
The traditional approaches to the treatment of lung cancer include chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. One or more of these treatments are often used in combination. There are an increasing number of new approaches in development, as well.
By way of definition, the major treatments for lung cancer are; chemotherapy, treatment with strong medication and one of the major procedures used today; Surgery, indicated when cancer is localized, used to prevent its spread (metastasis); radiation, or high-energy x-rays, which are sometimes used in combination with surgery or chemotherapy, to kill cancer cells.A somewhat newer treatment Immunotherapy is used to boost the individuals own immune system to fight the disease more naturally.
Among the alternative therapies showing promise, Controlled Amino Acid Therapy (CAAT) has been developed and studied at the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research. This procedure involves carbohydrate and protein deprivation. Dr. Marco Rabinwitz at the National Cancer Institute and Dr. Albert Lorincz of the University of Chicago have conducted research to support CAAT and its effectiveness in treating cancer. Briefly, CAAT has specific diet protocols and amino acid supplements which are scientifically formulated. This combination works to impair development and proliferation of cancerous cells.
In chemotherapy treatment, there are some new medications which work differently than traditional chemical agents. A treatment approved over 4 years ago, Gefitinib is administered in pill form. Specifically, it targets and blocks an enzyme which stimulates tumor cell growth and spreading. Another new chemotherapy treatment involves a combination of two chemical/biochemical agents - Bevacizumab and Erlotinib. Still in the study phase, this treatment is demonstrating promising results. Erlotinib works inside the cancer cell. It inhibits signals which trigger cancer cell growth. Bevacizumab, an antibody, functions outside of the cancer cell, prohibiting growth of blood vessels which would feed the tumor.
Photodynamic Therapy or PDT is yet another new treatment. In PDT a phototoxic drug (photosensitizer) is administered and followed by light exposure, either conventional or laser, targeting the cancerous tumor. An FDA approved method, its current application is for solid cancerous lesions. Within the PDT treatment, various immune cells play a critical role in effectiveness of tumor reduction and eradication, facilities, such as the BC Cancer Research Centre are examining the use PDT and immunotherapy in concert, using immunotherapy to catalyze the PDT.
With lung cancer being the most deadly and affecting such a broad spectrum of the population, the search for new and more effective treatments continues. Most promising are those that target more specific mechanisms of cancer cell growth. Basic research, conducted over the years, is now providing the background for development of more effective and less devastating lung cancer treatments.
Logan Pallas explores various lung cancer therapies on his Cancer Breakthroughs website. He is a medical researcher, cancer expert and proponent of alternative lung cancer treatment.
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