Treating lung cancer is very challenging. To regulate the survival rates, it is essential to know the stage of the disease. The treatment for the lung cancer can either be curative in which the interventions are done to control the growth of the cancer, or it can be palliative, which aims to improve the quality of life by managing pain and associated symptoms.

• Surgery: Surgery to treat lung cancer is considered as the gold standard which is performed to excise the cancerous tumour and the surrounding lung tissue in order to cure the patients when the disease is particularly localized. Initially, only traditional open surgeries were performed for resection of the tumour. The recent advances in the surgical procedure has made minimally invasive surgery the primary option for surgical resection of lung cancer. The following procedures are now being performed by the surgeons using VATS that is video assisted thoracic surgery and robotic surgery as well.
  • Wedge resection or segmental resection: done to remove only the small part of the diseased lung.
  • Lobectomy: most commonly performed to remove the lobe of your lung if the cancer in extensive.
  • Pneumonectomy: to remove the entire lung if the cancer has invaded all the lobes.

  These procedures are done using minimally invasive VATS technology that involves insertion of thin tube that is attached to the thorascope (camera) and the specialized small surgical instruments to carry out the required surgery. The thorascope provides images on the monitor using which the surgeon removes the tissue with more ease and precision.

• Chemotherapy: It comprises of specialized drugs that destroy the growing cancer cells. The drug may be injected intravenously or can be taken orally in the form of pills.
• Radiation therapy: This uses high powered energy beams like X-ray or protons to kill the cancerous cells. It can either be use as a sole treatment or can be combined with the chemotherapy with or without the surgery. Following radiation therapy most of the patients are relieved from the pain, obstruction in the airways, shortness of breath etc. It can be done using ,
  • External radiation or
  • Brachytherapy (internal radiation)
• Radiosurgery: The new innovation in radiation therapy is radiosurgery, which is used in very limited patients where tumours are small but undergoing surgery may prove harmful. In such cases, surgery is done using radiosurgery, in which high doses of radiation that are focused precisely on targeted cells in the lungs to kill the cancer cells without harming the nearby tissues.

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should see a doctor immediately who would advise you various tests for correct diagnosis. If you are diagnosed with lungs cancer, the treatment should be started immediately.

Surgery is indicated in most of the cases of lungs cancer. Depending on the size, location and extent of spread of the tumour, either wedge/ segmental resection, lobectomy or Pneumonectomy procedure is performed to excise the tumour and tissues surrounding it. These procedure are now being performed using the minimally invasive VATS approach.

The surgery is done under general anaesthesia. Surgeon makes several 2-4cms small incisions on the chest between the ribs. Using the thorascope (camera) that is put inside the chest cavity, the surgeon evaluates the cancerous lung tissue by looking on the images on the monitor from the camera. After evaluating with the help of specialized surgical instruments that have been put inside through one of the incisions, the surgeon transects and removes the required amount of tissue from the lung.

• Less pain after the operation,
• Better immune system response
• Better chance of breathing normally and
• Better quality of life.

Recovery after the surgery to a large extent depends on the type of surgery performed. After minimally invasive procedure, the patient can be discharged after 3-4 of the surgery and can resume work and normal activities within 4-5 weeks after the surgery.

One can experience improvement in quality of life after undergoing the treatment. Moreover, minimally invasive surgery helps patient lead life with less pain after the surgery, better immunity and better chance of normal breathing and comparatively less time of recovery.

The time required for lungs cancer treatment in India depends upon the stage of cancer. If only surgery is required, the patient would need 2-3 weeks for lungs cancer treatment in India. However, if radiotherapy and chemotherapy are also required, several weeks may be required.