Receiving palliative care alongside curative treatments can enhance the likelihood of completing cancer therapies. Chemotherapy is commonly employed post-surgery to eliminate residual cancer cells and pre-surgery to reduce tumor size for easier removal.
Lack of exposure, unfamiliarity with information/resources
Fear/Anxiety
Threat to/change in health status
Perceived threat of death
Situational crises
Acute Pain
Surgical incision, tissue trauma, and disruption of intercostal nerves
Cancer invasion of pleura, chest wall
Presence of chest tube(s)
Ineffective Airway Clearance
Restricted chest movement/pain
Fatigue/weakness
Increased amount/viscosity of secretions
Impaired Gas Exchange
Altered oxygen supply (hypoventilation)
Decreased oxygen-carrying capacity of blood (blood loss)
Removal of lung tissue
What it is
Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. As they grow, the abnormal cells can form tumors and interfere with the functioning of the lung, which provides oxygen to the body via the blood.
S/S
Coughing up blood
Coughing up phlegm or mucus, especially if it is tinged with blood
Recurrent lung problems, such as bronchitis or pneumonia
Harsh sounds with each breath (stridor)
Changes in the voice or being hoarse
Shortness of breath
A change in color or volume of sputum
Pain in the chest, shoulder, or back unrelated to pain from coughing
Coughing, especially if it persists or becomes intense
DX
Xray
Sputum cytology
bronchoscopy
biopsy
Prevention
Exercise most days of the week.
Eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables.
Avoid carcinogens at work.
Test your home for radon.
Avoid secondhand smoke.
Stop smoking.
Don't smoke.
Interventions
You may be concerned that receiving palliative care means you can't undergo aggressive treatment for your cancer. But rather than replace curative treatments, palliative care complements your cancer treatment and may make it more likely that you can complete your treatments.
People with lung cancer often experience signs and symptoms of the cancer, as well as side effects of treatment. Supportive care, also known as palliative care, is a specialty area of medicine that involves working with a doctor to minimize your signs and symptoms.
Palliative care
Your participation in a clinical trial may help doctors better understand how to treat lung cancer in the future.
The treatments studied in a clinical trial may be the latest innovations, but they don't guarantee a cure. Carefully weigh your treatment options with your doctor.
Clinical trials are studies of experimental lung cancer treatments. You may be interested in enrolling in a clinical trial if lung cancer treatments aren't working or if your treatment options are limited.
Clinical trials
Crizotinib (Xalkori). Crizotinib blocks chemicals that allow cancer cells to grow out of control and live longer than normal cells.
Erlotinib (Tarceva). Erlotinib blocks chemicals that signal the cancer cells to grow and divide.
Bevacizumab is usually used in combination with chemotherapy and is approved for advanced and recurrent non-small cell lung cancer. Bevacizumab carries a risk of bleeding, blood clots and high blood pressure.
Bevacizumab (Avastin). Bevacizumab stops a tumor from creating a new blood supply. Blood vessels that connect to tumors can supply oxygen and nutrients to the tumor, allowing it to grow.
Targeted drug therapy
Radiation therapy can be used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain. It may also be used as the first treatment for lung cancers that can't be removed during surgery. For people with advanced lung cancer, radiation therapy may be used to relieve pain and other symptoms.
Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy beams, such as X-rays, to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy can be directed at your lung cancer from outside your body (external beam radiation) or it can be put inside needles, seeds or catheters and placed inside your body near the cancer (brachytherapy).
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy is often used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain. It may also be used before surgery to shrink cancers and make them easier to remove. In some cases, chemotherapy can be used to relieve pain and other symptoms of advanced cancer.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. One or more chemotherapy drugs may be given through a vein in your arm (intravenously) or taken orally. A combination of drugs usually is given in a series of treatments over a period of weeks or months, with breaks in between so that you can recover.
Chemotherapy
If you undergo surgery, your surgeon may also remove lymph nodes from your chest in order to check them for signs of cancer.
