Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a treatment for cancer. Chemotherapy drugs stop the growth of cancer cells either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy is administered by different means including injected into a vein or muscle, orally and topically. Chemotherapy drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body also called systemic chemotherapy. The way the chemotherapy is applied depends on the type and stage of the cancer, drug used.

Chemotherapy is the most effective treatment for small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the lung tissues. Usually doctors choose chemotherapy to treat small lung cancer because this type of cancer responds very well to chemotherapy and also small cell lung cancer tends to have microscopic spread when it is diagnosed.

Other therapies that are used to treat small lung cancer include radiotherapy and surgery. Both these therapies are local treatments. While chemotherapy drugs when applied treat the whole body. So if cancer cells are spread away from the primary cancer by the time it is diagnosed, they can affect any other body part. The cancer cells are too small to see on scans. Even though scans are clear, doctor assumes that there is microscopic spread associated with small lung cancer.

Therefore chemotherapy is most obvious treatment for small lung cancer. Usually, chemotherapy is only treatment applied for treating small lung cancer. However, sometime it may also apply before or with radiotherapy. There is possibility that cancer cells spread away from the tumor and travel to another part of body even in early stage of small lung cancer so your doctor may suggest chemotherapy with or after surgery.

Even though the doctor removes all the cancer by the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left behind. This chemotherapy treatment given after the surgery to increase the chances of a cure is called adjuvant chemotherapy.

Cisplatin and etoposide are the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs combination for small cell lung cancer. Though small cell lung cancer responds well to these drugs, research is continued to test other combinations to obtain combination with improved results, lessen the side effects or both. Other chemotherapy drug combinations used for small cell lung cancer include CAV (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and vincristine) and GemCarbor (gemcitabine and carboplatin). ACE (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and etoposide) is used for relapsed disease. Topotecan chemotherapy is recommended for patients with recurrence of small cell lung cancer by the AWMSG (All Wales Medicines Strategy Group) in Wales. Topotecan chemotherapy is applied if patients are not able to have doxorubicin as it can cause damage to the heart.

Chemotherapy treatment cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, hair loss, memory loss and others. However these side effects are temporary and will disappear once treatment is over. Consult your doctor and medical team before treatment about possible outcome of treatment as well as side effects.