How does lung cancer affect the body?

 Lung cancer is one of the two most common cancers in the world. In India alone, it constitutes about 6.9% of all new cancer cases and 9.3% of all cancer-related deaths in males & females.

Lung cancer begins in the cells of the lungs. It is nothing like cancer that starts somewhere else and spreads to the lungs. The primary symptoms of lung cancer involve the respiratory system, but in later stages, it can spread to distant organs as well.

In all it’s stages, lung cancer is treatable by specialists like Dr. Manish Singhal, the best lung cancer doctor in Delhi NCR.

However, the question we’re answering here relates to lung cancer’s effect on the body as a whole.

Lung cancer’s effect on the body

Lung cancer does not just affect your lungs. It is cancer after all, and it can spread. Once you have a tumor in your lung/s, the cancer cells can easily break off, forming new tumors nearby or anywhere in the body if it enters the lymphatic system or bloodstream. They can travel anywhere then, and this is called metastasis.

Commonly lung cancer spreads to:

-Lymph nodes

-Bones

-Brain

-Liver

-Adrenal Glands

Depending on where the cancer migrates, different organs/systems are affected.

An in-depth look:

• Respiratory system

Most lung cancer patients do not have any symptoms at first. However, if they do, they might have frequent bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia. They can sound hoarse or notice other changes in their voice.

Then comes persistent cough which will eventually become intense and produce mucus. With disease progression, mucus can change color or have blood in it. A hacking cough can cause chest pain which worsens with breathing or cough.

Shortness of breath, wheezing, becoming breathless even on little exertion is seen.

The respiratory system is the first system to be affected by lung cancer, and that is why this is where the primary symptoms are seen, according to top cancer doctors.

• Circulatory and cardiovascular systems

Cancer cells can make their way into the bloodstream and spread through the circulatory system throughout the body.

People with lung cancer can cough up blood, have fatal blood clots, can cause pulmonary embolism, etc. Lung cancer can also spread to the heart or the pericardial sac. (Rare) Radiation toxicity due to lung cancer can damage the cells of the heart.

Ask any oncologist in Noida, pan India, or worldwide, they’ll confirm.

• Immune & excretory systems

If lung cancer has metastasized to nearby lymph nodes, it can form lumps and bumps around your collarbone, neck, or armpits and cause neck or facial swelling. According to experts, some types of lung cancer can cause hormone-like substances to enter the bloodstream and cause “paraneoplastic syndromes.”

If it has spread to the liver, it can cause jaundice or liver pain.

• Central nervous system

Lung cancer, if it has spread to the brain, can cause memory problems, visual changes, dizziness, seizures, numbness of the limbs, weakness of the limbs, an unsteady gait, balance problems, etc. Not only that, but it can also cause Horner’s syndrome, which affects the face & the neck.

• Skeletal and muscular systems

If lung cancer has spread to the bones, it can cause bone and muscle pain, weakened bones, and an increased risk of fracture. If a cancer doctor performs an X-ray, he/she can detect it easily.

Some types of lung cancer are associated with an autoimmune disorder that interrupts the signals from the nerves to the muscles, Lambert-Eaton syndrome.

These are only a few examples. Lung cancer can also affect hormonal balance, weight, appetite, and more.

Winding up

Lung cancer affects more than the lungs. But today, with the advent of modern medicine, it can be treated and managed very well. The best way to do it is to consult an expert of repute like Dr. Manish Singhal, a leading cancer specialist in Delhi NCR.

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How is lung cancer treated?

 Lung cancer has wreaked havoc in many lives around the world. But with the advent of modern treatment, the chances of survival have improved drastically.

The 5-year survival rate for all people with all types of lung cancer is 19%. For women, it is 23%, and for men, it is 19%. Out of the two types of lung cancer, the 5-year survival rate for NSCLC is 24%, compared to 6% for small cell lung cancer.

The treatment options for lung cancer are many. The best treatment option for a patient is determined by the lung cancer doctor in-charge keeping the type, stage, and treatment goals in mind.

Not only that but a mix of different treatments may also be advised depending on the type of lung cancer.

The treatment plan has to be created and agreed upon by a cancer specialist and a patient. An informed decision is important because each treatment option has potential side effects, which can be managed. Get more information about the side effects of lung cancer treatment.

So, if you're a cancer patient, the best way for you to approach treatment is to consult a top specialist like Dr. Manish Singhal, the best lung cancer doctor in Delhi NCR.

Lung cancer treatments

There are two main types of lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer.

Many tests are performed to determine what type of lung cancer it is, what stage it is in, where it has spread, etc.

Not only that, but post lung cancer diagnosis, the cancer doctor may run tests like EGFR to find out if there is any change in the genes of the patient. This is mostly done in non-small cell lung cancer. The results of these tests help your doctor know which treatments will work best for you.

Here are the treatment options:

• Surgery

Surgery can be an option if the cancer is confined to the lungs. For a largely spread lung cancer, cancer doctors may recommend chemotherapy or radiation before surgery to shrink the cancer. Also, if there is a risk of cancer cells being left behind post-surgery, doctors can also recommend chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery.

The procedures include:

1. Wedge Resection-It removes a small section of the lung that contains the tumor along with a margin of healthy tissue.

2. Segmental Resection-It removes a larger portion of the lung but not an entire lobe.

3. Lobectomy-It removes the entire lobe of one lung.

4. Pneumonectomy-It removes an entire lung

• Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.

It is often used for people with locally advanced lung cancer before or after surgery. It is also combined with chemotherapy therapy sometimes; becoming a primary treatment option along with chemotherapy if surgery is not a viable option. Not only that but for advanced lung cancers that have already spread to other areas of the body, radiation therapy helps relieve symptoms like pain.

• Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses specialized drugs to shrink or kill cancer cells. The drugs can be administered through the veins, orally, or through both. A combination of chemotherapy drugs is given in a series of treatments over weeks or months, with breaks in-between so patients can recover.

In people with advanced lung cancer, chemotherapy can also be used to relieve pain and other symptoms.

• Targeted Therapy

There are several targeted lung cancer treatments. Targeted treatments focus on unique abnormalities present within cancer cells. By remedying these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments specifically attack cancer cells while sparing healthy cells.

Certain targeted therapies only work in people who have cancer cells with specific genetic mutations. To ascertain whether the patient has the said genetic mutations the cancer cells may be tested.

The testing is important; ask a trusted oncologist in Noida or wherever you live about the testing before choosing targeted therapy.

• Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system against the cancer cells.

The body's immune system, which is designed to fight diseases, does not attack the cancer cells because the cells produce proteins that hide them from the immune system. Immunotherapy interferes with the process and allows the immune system to recognize & destroy cancer cells.

There are several more treatments and treatment adjacents, including palliative care to improve quality of life, clinical trial participation for better outcomes, coping with symptoms, alternative medicines, etc.

In conclusion

The treatment a patient receives is entirely dependent on the type of lung cancer, the stage, the spread, and most importantly, the cancer doctor. If you're a lung cancer patient, whether you're newly diagnosed or looking for a second opinion, you can always consult an expert in the area like Dr. Manish Singhal, a cancer specialist in Delhi NCR.

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What Is The Most Effective Treatment For Lung Cancer?

 Lung cancer rates are rapidly increasing in non-smokers and women. 6.9% of all new cancer in India is lung cancer, and 9.3% of all cancer-related deaths in both men and women are due to lung cancer. In fact, lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world.

In India, lung cancer is on the rise not only because of the changing lifestyle but also because of the increase in air pollution. 

There are two major types of lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer, and non-small-cell lung cancer. Out of the two, non-small-cell lung cancer is more common. 

After lung cancer has been diagnosed, several tests, including a test for assessing genetic mutation, are conducted before deciding on a treatment plan. 

From the stage of lung cancer, i.e., where the lung cancer has spread to the patient’s age, from overall medical history to the type of lung cancer, from the extent of the disease to the medication or procedure, or therapy tolerance, from treatment expectations to individual preference, the best treatment plan for a lung cancer patient depends on a lot of factors. 

In this blog, we’ll talk about the most effective treatments for lung cancer.

Which treatment is best for lung cancer?

There is no one treatment plan which is better than the other because, as discussed, lung cancer treatment depends on a variety of factors. However, all lung cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, other medications, localized treatments like laser therapy, or a combination of different treatments. 

Generally, cancer specialists treat people diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, even targeted therapy, or a combination of the said treatments, also called multimodality treatment. On the other hand, small-cell lung cancer patients are often treated with either radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or both. 

Now let’s talk about the treatments in detail.

Surgery

Surgery is often an option for early-stage lung cancer; that is when the cancer is confined to the lungs.

The types of surgery depend upon multiple factors, including tumor size & location, cancer extent, overall patient health, etc. If cancer has spread, then cancer specialists often recommend chemotherapy or radiation before surgery to shrink the tumor. Not only that, but if there is a chance of cancer cells being left behind post-surgery, cancer doctors also may suggest chemotherapy or radiation post-op.

Types of surgery:

1. Wedge Resection-Here a small section of the affected lung containing the tumor is removed with a margin of healthy tissues.
2. Segment Resection-Here a larger lung portion is removed but not an entire lobe.
3. Lobectomy-Here an entire lobe is removed.
4. Pneumonectomy-Here an entire lung is removed.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. It is often used for locally advanced lung cancer pre or post-surgery. It can be used with chemotherapy when surgery is not a viable option. Radiation therapy can also be useful in cases of advanced lung cancer for relieving pain symptoms.

Chemotherapy

In chemotherapy, specialized drugs are used to kill or shrink cancer cells. It can be with other treatments. It is often administered in a series of treatments over a period, sometimes weeks or months. The breaks are for the patient to recover. A cancer specialist can recommend an individualized chemotherapy plan depending on the patient.

Targeted Therapy

In lung cancer, there are multiple targeted treatment options. These treatments focus on unique abnormalities present within a patient’s cancer cells. Targeted therapy remedies the abnormalities & attacks cancer cells specifically but spares the healthy cells. Presently, such drugs have only found use in some cases of non-small-cell lung cancer. For targeted therapy, a gene mutation test is often necessary.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses the patient’s immune system against the cancer cells. It can come in the forms of drugs, vaccines, and other therapies which activate the natural defenses of the immune system to fight lung cancer. 

In some cases, “anti-PD-1” has shown noticeable tumor regression after a round of chemotherapy. Some immunotherapy drugs like pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, and nivolumab have also been approved for certain types of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer treatment breakthroughs

• On 1st June 2021, the USFDA approved Lumakras™ (sotorasib) as the first treatment for NSCLC or non-small-cell lung cancer patients with tumors that have the KRAS G12C genetic mutation and have received at least one systemic therapy prior. 
• Keytruda monotherapy was found to improve progression-free survival in previously treated, PD-L1–positive advanced NSCLC.
• It was seen that at-home prehabilitation may improve surgical outcomes in lung cancer patients. 
• A recent study also demonstrated that a combination of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) plus carboplatin and etoposide can safely improve the survival rate of patients with extensive-stage SCLC or small-cell lung cancer.

Multiple other treatments and treatment adjacents like palliative care, clinical trial participation, coping mechanisms, alternative medicines, can be used and are used in lung cancer.

Lung cancer treatment today-The conclusion

Which lung cancer treatment is best for you? As discussed before, it is entirely dependent on the staging, the spread, the choice, and most importantly, the cancer specialist. If you are a lung cancer patient and want a second opinion or looking for advanced treatment options, you can always consult an expert like Dr. Manish Singhal, a lung cancer doctor in Delhi NCR.

Note

Dr. Manish Singhal is a leading lung cancer doctor in Delhi NCR. With an acute understanding of lung cancer treatment and a rich well of knowledge of the advancements in lung cancer treatment, he and his team have successfully created efficient and customized cancer treatment plans for patients suffering from different types of lung cancer.

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Lung Cancer Risk Calculator: New tool to predict lung cancer based on Risk Factors

 Covid-19 has wreaked havoc worldwide, and it has destroyed economies, quarantined the masses, and put everyone in a manic state. Although the virus has caused widespread panic, we ought to fear a deadlier disease, Lung cancer. Lung cancer has more than double the deaths caused by COVID-19. Each year 1.79 million people die due to lung cancer.

• Lung cancer, the worst type of cancer

It causes more deaths every year than the next three most fatal causes of cancer: colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. 1 in 15 men are affected by lung cancer, and 1 in 17 women are affected. Lung cancer is as widespread as Covid-19, yet no one seems to bat an eye. The difference between lung cancer and other cancer types is that it is already too late when people get diagnosed. Forty percent of all lung cancer patients have a metastasized disease at their diagnosis. Thus, making it much more challenging to survive. The five-year survival rate of lung cancer is also at a shockingly low percentage. Only 19 percent of people diagnosed early on survive. For this figure's perspective, the five-year survival rate of prostate cancer is 99 percent, and breast cancer is 90 percent. The numbers show that the best way is to predict the deadly cancer rather than battle it.

• A Revolutionary Lung cancer prediction tool

The solution that comes to mind is better predicting whether you have lung cancer before the cancer is metathesis. Better prediction methods have proven to be useful for early diagnosis and an increased survival rate. The previous models were on the early detection of breast cancer. The earlier models worked well and helped many women get treated. All this data begs the question of how do we calculate lung cancer risk. The proposed systems endgame is to build a software prediction tool that can easily predict the lung cancer risk. The lung cancer prediction tool based on risk factors would analyze the population based on the risk factors. The risk factors include tobacco smoking, second-hand smoke, exposure to radioactive materials, exposure to asbestos, and a family history of lung cancer. 

While creating new software to predict if you have lung cancer, the operation method is a rather lengthy data-heavy procedure. The procedure consists of three stages. In the first stage, the global medical database is analyzed to determine lung cancers common symptoms. In the second stage, medical questionnaires are sent to several doctors and specialists in thoracic tumors to find the most significant lung cancer symptom. In the third stage, medical knowledge from global research projects is analyzed to find the risk of lung cancer by examining available diagnostic factors values. A lung cancer risk calculating tool is designed by the data collected from the three stages.

• The best lung cancer doctor in Delhi NCR

Although prevention is better than cure, if you are diagnosed with lung cancer, hopefully at an early stage, you ought to visit the best lung cancer doctor. At Cancer Consult India, you get the best lung cancer doctors in Delhi NCR. The best Oncologist in Noida, Dr. Manish Singhal.  It is crucial to saving you and your loved one’s life before getting late. With this, you can get the best treatment of lung cancer in Noida.

Latest Approved Therapies for Blood Cancer Treatment

Globally 900,000 are diagnosed with blood cancer each year, yet nature and types of blood cancer continue to elude people. After the US and China, India has the highest number of reported blood cancer patients. About 70,000 men and women are affected by blood cancer in the country. The 5-year survival rate of the disease has evolved from 14% in the 1960s to 61% in the 2010s to almost 70% in 2020. However, awareness of blood cancer and blood cancer treatment is still scarce.

The truth about blood cancer

There are primarily 3 types of blood cancer:

• Leukaemia

It is the cancer of blood & bone marrow. It affects leucocytes or white blood cells and interferes with the body's ability to produce red blood cells & platelets.

• Lymphoma

There are two forms of lymphoma:

- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

 Every type of lymphoma other than Hodgkin lymphoma falls in this category. It develops in the lymphatic system from lymphocytes, a type of infection-fighting white blood cells.

- Hodgkin lymphoma

 Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of lymphoma that develops from lymphocytes too, but it is characterized by the presence of an abnormal lymphocyte called the Reed-Sternberg cell.

• Myeloma

It is a type of blood cancer that starts in the blood plasma cells.

Now let's talk about some blood cancer treatments. Whether you're looking for a lymphoma cancer doctor in Noida/Delhi or the best cancer doctor to consult for an insight into the new advancements of blood cancer treatment, you might be in for a surprise.

Why?

The advancements in blood cancer treatment

The blood cancer treatment plan of patients depends on a variety of factors including, type & stage of cancer, the spread of the blood cancer, and the total health of the affected person. The treatment plans include:

·       Stem cell/bone marrow transplantation

Stem cell or bone marrow transplantation has proven to be an effective treatment for blood cancer patients.  However, previously, before conducting the transplantation, some of the best cancer doctors suggested that the patients should be given a lethal dose of chemotherapy to avoid graft vs. host disease.

The consensus was that the chemotherapy, in the beginning, made the transplantation successful. That's not the case, according to some of the best cancer doctors and researchers involved in the studies. They have discovered that the bone marrow itself and it's qualities define success. That is how CAR-T therapy, the new addition to available blood cancer treatments, was discovered. 

·       CAR-T therapy

CAR-T therapy is an FDA approved blood cancer treatment for cancer patients who have not responded to other cancer treatments. This is a personalized cancer treatment created from the individual's T-cells, a subtype of white blood cells.

·       Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is being used as a blood cancer treatment for a long time; sometimes along with bone marrow transplantation, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy. In 2018, nelarabine (Arranon) was suggested as an addition to standard chemotherapy to improve the chances of survival in newly diagnosed children & young adults with T-Cell ALL, a type of blood cancer.

·       Immunotherapy

CAR-T cell therapy is one of the immunotherapy treatments used for blood cancer patients. However, there are several other immunotherapy treatments preferred by expert oncologists like Dr. Manish Singhal, a top cancer specialist in Delhi. Some of these treatments, new & old include medications like blinatumomab (Blincyto), inotuzumab ozogamicin (Besponsa), daratumumab (Darzalex), elotuzumab (Empliciti), and ixazomib (Ninlaro). The choice is with the oncologist in charge & the patient statistics.

·       Targeted Therapy

Several types of blood cancers are also treated with the help of targeted therapy. People, especially children, with genetic mutations, are more prone to having the best results from these targeted therapies.

Parting Words

Yes, blood cancer, despite being a disease with a global presence, is barely recognized as a threat by the public. But, some of the best cancer doctors and researchers know the numbers and are revolutionizing blood cancer treatment all the same. If you're a blood cancer patient or survivor looking for some insights or some guidance, the information available might seem incomplete or overwhelming to you. In this light, to get guidance, you might need to consult an expert in the field like Dr. Manish Singhal, the best oncologist in Delhi NCR offering advanced blood cancer treatment in Noida Delhi.

Also Read: How successful is chemotherapy as a lung cancer treatment?