Lung Cancer Definition

Lung Cancer Definition

Lung Cancer Surgery Options

Lung cancer may be treated by a variety of therapies which are frequently used in combination to provide an optimal outcome for the patient. Surgical resection is the process by which the tumor is surgically removed, and this is usually recommended when the cancer has not metastasized (or spread) beyond the lung into other parts of the body.

There are several options for performing a resection which may involve minimally invasive surgery or a full operation. Which technique is used will depend on a variety of factors, notably the size and stage of the cancer and whether the tumor can be accessed by the surgeon.

A thoracotomy is performed by the surgeon making an incision through the chest wall and a median sternotomy is performed by entering the chest cavity through the breastbone. Both of these methods are commonly employed in lung cancer surgery but they do involve considerable patient discomfort and extended stays in hospital with a longer recovery period.

Alternative surgical procedures include an anterior limited thoracotomy (ALT) which involves a small incision to allow entry, again through the front of the chest. It should be stressed that the incision is considerably smaller than in a standard thoracotomy or median sternotomy. An alternative is the anterior axillary thoracotomy (AAT) which involves a small incision on the chest front but near the underarm and finally, there is the postero-lateral thoracotomy (PLT) which involves an incision the back or side of the of the patient's trunk.

Even with these improved surgical techniques, a patient will experience considerable pain if the operation involves opening the chest (sometimes referred to amongst doctors as "chest cracking").

As a consequence of the extended recovery times and patient discomfort, surgical techniques have been developed which do not involve full-blown surgery - these are the so-called, minimally-invasive techniques.

Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT) uses a high powered video camera and hi-definition screen combined with diagnostic scans, such as CT or PET scan, to target the tumors in the patient's lung. The incision required is much smaller and there is no need to open the chest cavity which results in much less discomfort for the patient and greatly reduced recovery periods. Using the video display, the surgeon is able to resect the tumors which have been identified during the diagnosis and staging phases.

Some doctors do caution the use of VAT however, as a traditional thoracotomy may reveal tumors and other metastasized cancers which have not been discovered in the initial scans and diagnosis. If these remain undiscovered the cancer can return and the patient will become ill again and for this reason, VAT is usually recommended for early stage (I & II) cancers and which have not spread to other parts for the lungs and body.

It is quite usual for any surgical procedure to be accompanied by a phase of chemotherapy or radiation treatment to ensure that the patient's cancer has been completely removed or killed off. How the treatment proceeds and at what stage a particular therapy will be recommended will be determined by the type and stage of lung cancer a patient has got.

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What is the correct definition of lung cancer?

I searched up the definition of lung cancer, and went to many websites and they all give me a different meaning of the word.

Lung cancer is broken into 2 main catagories. Small Cell and Non Small Cell. Although it is uncommon, it is possible that characteristics of both types of lung cancer are present. If this happens, it is called a mixed small cell-large cell carcinoma. In addition to the two main types of lung cancer, other rare types such as sarcomas, and lymphomas can also occur.
Named for the small round cells that make up this cancer, small cell lung cancer accounts for a much smaller percentage of lung cancer cases than non-small cell lung cancer. SCLC is broken down into three different categories. Small cell carcinoma, mixed small call/large cell carcinoma and combined small cell carcinoma. Each of these different types of lung cancer grows and spread in a different way. Because the cancer cells multiply quickly, SCLC often spreads throughout the body, and although the main cause of SCLC is smoking, there are other risk factors as well, including exposure to second hand smoke, asbestos and radon.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer or (NSCLC) is a much more common form of lung cancer. NSCLC can be broken down into three different types of lung cancer based on the size, shape and chemical composition of the cancer. These types are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is often associated with smoking and is generally found near a bronchus. Unlike squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma is usually found around the outer regions of the lung. Adenocarcinoma is the most common form of NSCLC - especially among women. Large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma can appear in any part of the lung, and often grows and spreads quickly.

The symptoms and risk factors linked to non-small cell carcinoma are very similar to those associated with small cell lung cancer, however, these different types of lung cancer are often treated differently.

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Lung Cancer Definition

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