When dealing with advanced cancers key issues to keep in mind are: protecting the organs, protecting the non-cancerous
cells, building the immune system, detoxifying the body, creating an environment in the body which is hostile to cancer cells
(the "inner terrain"), dealing with the cachexia cycle, dealing with pain, shrinking tumors, slowing down the spreading
of cancer, and so on. The protocols in this section are among the best of the best.
The natural question arises: can
two primary cancer treatments be used at the same time? Generally, the answer is 'no'. These treatments are so potent that
if they were to be combined they may kill too many cancer cells too fast resulting in too much debris for the liver to safely
process.
In most cases a cancer patient would be wise to use one primary cancer treatment and two or three supplemental
treatments like the budwig diets or Dr Raths Protocol
Insulin Pot therapy,cesium chloride therapy and intravenous
vitamin C therapy are considered agreesive
The lungs are made up of areas called lobes. The right lung has three lobes; the left lung has two, so there's room
for the heart. When you breathe, air goes through your nose, down your windpipe (trachea), and into the lungs where it spreads
through tubes called bronchi. Most lung cancer begins in the cells that line these tubes.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer makes up about
20% of all lung cancer cases. If the lung cancer is made up of both types, it is called mixed small cell/large cell cancer.
If the cancer started somewhere else in the body and spread to the lungs, it is called metastatic cancer to
the lung.
Symptoms Early lung cancer may not cause any symptoms. Many times,
lung cancer is found when an x-ray is done for another reason.
Symptoms depend on the specific
type of cancer you have, but may include:
Cough that doesn't go away Coughing up blood Shortness of
breath Wheezing Chest pain Loss of appetite Losing weight without trying Fatigue
Additional symptoms that may also occur with lung cancer:
Weakness Swallowing difficulty Nail problems Joint pain Hoarseness or changing voice Swelling of the face Facial paralysis Eyelid
drooping Bone pain or tenderness These symptoms can also be due to other, less serious conditions, so it is important
to talk to your health care provider.
For more information, see:
Small cell lung cancer Non-small cell lung
cancer
Treatment Treatment depends on the specific type of lung cancer. Each type
is treated differently. Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery may be needed.
See the individual articles on the different
types of lung cancer:
Non-small cell lung cancer Small cell lung cancer
Causes Lung cancer is the deadliest type of cancer for both men and women. Each year, more people die of
lung cancer than breast, colon, and prostate cancers combined.
Lung cancer is more common in older adults. It
is rare in people under age 45.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer.
The more cigarettes you
smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. There is no evidence that smoking
low-tar cigarettes lowers the risk.
However, lung cancer has occurred in people who have never smoked.
Secondhand
smoke (breathing the smoke of others) increases your risk of lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated
3,000 non-smoking adults will die each year from lung cancer related to breathing secondhand smoke.
The
following may also increase one's risk of lung cancer:
High levels of air pollution High levels of arsenic
in drinking water Radon gas Asbestos Family history of lung cancer Radiation therapy to the lungs Exposure
to cancer-causing chemicals such as uranium, beryllium, vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas, chloromethyl
ethers, gasoline, and diesel exhaust
Tests & diagnosis The health care provider
will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your medical history. You will be asked if you smoke, and if so, how
long you have smoked.
When listening to the chest with a stethoscope, the health care provider can sometimes hear fluid
around the lungs, which could (but doesn't always) suggest cancer.
Tests that may be performed
include:
Chest x-ray Sputum cytology test to look for cancer cells Blood work CT scan of the chest MRI of the chest Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
In some cases, the health
care provider may need to remove a piece of tissue from your lungs for examination under a microscope. This is called a biopsy.
There are several ways to do this:
Bronchoscopy combined with biopsy Pleural biopsy CT scan directed
needle biopsy Mediastinoscopy with biopsy Open lung biopsy For more information, see:
Small cell lung
cancer Non-small cell lung cancer
Prognosis How well a patient does depends
on the following:
Type of lung cancer Whether or not the cancer has spread Your age Your overall health How well you respond to treatment The earlier the cancer is found, the better the chances of survival. Lung cancer
is a deadly disease. Nearly 60% of people with lung cancer die within a year. However, some people are cured and go on to
live many years.
Prevention If you smoke, quit. It is never too late to stop smoking.
You should also avoid breathing in the smoke from other people's cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
Eating a diet rich in
fruits and vegetables may help prevent some cases of lung cancer.
Complications The
cancer may spread to other parts of the body (metastasis). Cancer treatment can cause significant side effects.
When
to contact a doctor Call your health care provider if you develop symptoms of lung
Lung cancer compensation fund
Small cell lung cancer
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
is a fast-growing type of lung cancer. It spreads much more quickly than non-small cell lung cancer.
There
are three different types of small cell lung cancer:
Small cell carcinoma (oat cell cancer) Mixed small
cell/large cell carcinoma Combined small cell carcinoma Most small cell lung cancers are the oat cell type.
Symptoms Bloody sputum (phlegm) Chest pain Cough Loss of appetite Shortness
of breath Weight loss Wheezing
Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:
Facial
swelling Fever Hoarseness or changing voice Swallowing difficulty Weakness
Treatment Because SCLC spreads quickly throughout the body, treatment must include cancer-killing drugs (chemotherapy) taken by mouth
or injected into the body.
Chemotherapy may be combined with radiation therapy of the lungs in people who have limited
disease. The most commonly used drugs in the U.S. are etoposide with either cisplatin or carboplatin. Because the
disease has usually spread by the time it is diagnosed, very few patients with SCLC are helped by having surgery. Surgery
is only considered when there is only one tumor that has not spread. Chemotherapy or radiation will be needed after surgery.
Combination
chemotherapy and radiation treatment is given to people with extensive SCLC. However, the treatment only helps relieve symptoms.
It does not cure the disease.
Often, SCLC may have already spread to the brain, even when there are no symptoms or other
signs of cancer in the brain. As a result, radiation therapy to the brain may be given to some patients with smaller cancers,
or to those who had a good response in the first round of chemotherapy. This method is called prophylactic cranial irradiation
(PCI).
Causes About 15% of all lung cancer cases are small cell lung cancer. Small
cell lung cancer is slightly more common in men than women.
Almost all cases of SCLC are due to cigarette smoking. SCLC
is rare in those who have never smoked.
SCLC is the most aggressive form of lung cancer. It usually starts in the breathing
tubes (bronchi) in the center of the chest. Although the cancer cells are small, they grow very quickly and create large tumors.
These tumors often spread rapidly (metastasize) to other parts of the body, including the brain, liver, and bone.
Tests & diagnosis Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions
about your medical history. You will be asked whether you smoke, and if so, how much and for how long you have smoked.
When
listening to your chest with a stethoscope, your health care provider can sometimes hear fluid around the lungs or areas of
partial lung collapse. Each of these findings could (but does not always) suggest cancer.
Small
cell lung cancer has usually spread to other parts of your body by the time it is diagnosed.
Tests that may be
performed include:
Bone scan Chest x-ray Complete blood count (CBC) CT scan Liver function tests MRI Positron emission tomography (PET) scan Sputum test (cytology, looking for cancer cells) Thoracentesis
(removal of fluid from the chest cavity around the lungs) In some cases, your health care provider may need to remove
a piece of tissue from your lungs for examination under a microscope. This is called a biopsy. There are several ways to do
this:
Bronchoscopy combined with biopsy CT scan-directed needle biopsy Endoscopic esophageal ultrasound (EUS)
with biopsy Mediastinoscopy with biopsy Open lung biopsy Pleural biopsy Usually, if a biopsy reveals cancer,
more imaging tests are done to find out the stage of the cancer. (Stage means how big the tumor is and how far it has spread.)
However, the traditional staging system, which uses numbers to tell how advanced the cancer is, is usually not used for patients
with SCLC. Instead, SCLC is classified as either:
Limited (cancer is only in the chest and can be treated with radiation
therapy) Extensive (cancer has spread outside the chest) The majority of cases are extensive.
Prognosis How well you do depends on how much the lung cancer has spread.
Without treatment, the average survival is 2 -4 months.
Treatment can often prolong life to 6 - 12 months in patients with extensive disease. About 10% of patients with limited spread
will show no evidence of cancer at 2 years.
This type of cancer is very deadly. Only about 6%
of people with this type of cancer are still alive 5 years after diagnosis.
Prevention If you smoke, stop smoking. It's never too late to quit. In addition, you should try to avoid secondhand smoke.
Routine
screening for lung cancer is not recommended. Many studies have been done to look at this idea, but physicians have concluded
that, at this time, screening would not help improve a person's chance for a cure.
Complications Cancer spreads to other parts of the body
Non small cell lung cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer
(NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. It usually grows and spreads more slowly than small cell lung cancer.
There are three forms of NSCLC:
Adenocarcinomas are often found in an outer area of the lung. Squamous cell carcinomas are usually found in the center of the lung by an air tube (bronchus). Large cell carcinomas
can occur in any part of the lung. They tend to grow and spread faster than the other two types.
Symptoms Early
lung cancer may not cause any symptoms. Symptoms you should watch for include:
Cough that doesn't go away Coughing
up blood Shortness of breath Wheezing Chest pain Loss of appetite Losing weight without trying Fatigue Other symptoms that may be due to NSCLC:
Weakness Swallowing difficulty Nail problems Joint
pain Hoarseness or changing voice Swelling of the face Eyelid drooping Bone pain or tenderness Shoulder
pain or weakness Note: These symptoms can be due to other, less serious conditions. It is important to talk to your health
care provider.
Treatment There are many different types of treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment
depends upon the stage of the cancer.
Surgery is the often the first line of treatment for patients with non-small cell
lung cancer that has not spread beyond nearby lymph nodes. The surgeon may remove:
One of the lobes of the lung (lobectomy) Only a small part of the lung (wedge or segment removal) The entire lung (pneumonectomy) Some patients need chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells and stop new ones from growing.
Chemotherapy alone is often used when the
cancer has spread (stage IV). It may also be given before surgery or radiation to make those treatments more effective.
It may be given after surgery (called adjuvant therapy) to kill any remaining microscopic areas of cancer. Radiation
therapy uses powerful x-rays or other forms of radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy can be used with chemotherapy
if surgery is not possible.
The following treatments are mostly used to relieve symptoms caused by NSCLC:
Laser
therapy - a small beam of light burns and kills cancer cells Photodynamic therapy - uses a light to activate a drug in
the body, which kills cancer cells
Causes Smoking causes most cases of lung cancer. The risk depends upon the number
of cigarettes smoked every day and for how long someone has smoked. Being around the smoke from others (secondhand smoke)
also raises your risk for lung cancer. However, people who do not smoke and have never smoked have become sick with lung cancer.
A
review of decades of research has recently shown that smoking marijuana may help cancer cells grow, but there is no direct
link between the drug and developing lung cancer.
High levels of air pollution and drinking water containing high levels
of arsenic can increase your risk for lung cancer. Radiation therapy to the lungs can also increase the risk.
Working
with or near the following cancer-causing chemicals or materials can also increase your risk:
Asbestos Products
using chloride and formaldehyde Certain alloys, paints, pigments, and preservatives
Tests & diagnosis The
health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your medical history. You will be asked if you smoke,
and if so, how long you have smoked.
When listening to the chest with a stethoscope, the health care provider can sometimes
hear fluid around the lungs, which could (but doesn't always) suggest cancer.
Tests that may be performed to diagnose
lung cancer or see if it has spread include:
Chest x-ray CBC Sputum test to look for cancer cells Bone
scan CT scan of the chest MRI of the chest Positron emission tomography (PET) scan Thoracentesis In
some cases, the health care provider may need to remove a piece of tissue from your lungs for examination under a microscope.
This is called a biopsy. There are several ways to do this:
Bronchoscopy combined with biopsy Pleural biopsy CT scan directed needle biopsy Mediastinoscopy with biopsy Open lung biopsy Endoscopic esophageal ultrasound
(EUS) with biopsy If the biopsy reveals you do have lung cancer, more imaging tests will be done to determine the stage
of the cancer. Stage means how big the tumor is and how far it's spread. Non-small cell lung cancer is divided into five stages:
Stage
0 - the cancer has not spread beyond the inner lining of the lung Stage I - the cancer is small and hasn't spread to
the lymph nodes Stage II - the cancer has spread to some lymph nodes near the original tumor Stage III - the cancer
has spread to nearby tissue or spread to far away lymph nodes Stage IV - the cancer has spread to other organs of the
body such as the other lung, brain, or liver
Prognosis The outlook varies widely. Most often, NSCLC develops slowly
and causes few or no symptoms until very late stages. However, in some cases, it can be extremely agressive and cause rapid
death. The cancer may spread to other parts of the body, including the bone, liver, small intestine, and brain.
Chemotherapy
has been shown to prolong the life and improve the quality of life in some patients with stage IV NSCLC.
Cure rates
are related to the stage of disease and whether you are able to have surgery.
Stage I and II cancer can be cured with
surgery, sometimes in more than 50% of cases. Stage III tumors can be cured in some cases, but cure rates are much lower
than earlier stage NSCLC Patients with stage IV disease are almost never cured, and the goals of therapy are to extend
and improve the quality of their life.
Prevention If you smoke, stop smoking. It's never too early to quit. People
who have smoked in the past can be at increased risk for lung cancer more than 20 years after quitting, although the risk
drops significantly in the first year after quitting. There are benefits to quitting smoking, even for people who are well
into middle age.
Try to avoid secondhand smoke.
Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
Routine screening
for lung cancer is not recommended. Many studies have been done to look at the idea, but scientists have concluded that, at
this time, screening does not help improve a person’s chance for a cure.
Complications Spread of disease
beyond the lung Side effects of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy