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__**Lung Cancer Treatments**__ Every year, more than 169,000 people in the United States get lung cancer, and more than 154,000 people die from this disease. (National cancer institute). Although lung cancer is deadly and fatal, there is no cure for lung cancer, although there are treatments to help slow down the spread, and growth of Lung cancer cells. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are treatments that help slow down these diseases. Even though these treatments are good treatments to use for lung cancer patients there are also side effects when taking these treatments. Chemotherapy is one of the treatments used to help lung cancer patients. Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth and spread of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. The way chemotherapy is given is by taking the drugs by mouth or injecting them into a vein or muscle in the patient’s body. The drugs then enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cell throughout the whole body. Also the way chemotherapy is given is by the type and stage of cancer being treated in this case lung cancer. Chemotherapy can be a good treatment, but when Lung Cancer patients take this medication it can cause side effects that might affect the patient taking these drugs such as vomiting, nausea, hair loss, diarrhea, lowered blood count reduced ability of blood clotting and tingly and numbing in the sensation of the hands and feet, and can increase risk of infection. (A.P John institute for cancer research). These common side effects are common for the cancer patients who take the drugs. Some of those side effects also only occur temporarily and can be more noticeable when treatment is first started. Taking chemotherapy for lung cancer increases the odds of survival, but it also increases the odds of terrible side effects. Radiation is also one of the treatments used to help lung cancer patients. Radiation or radiotherapy uses high energy rays to kill cancer cell, shrinks tumor and prevents cancer cell from spreading and dividing. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses machine that is outside the body to send radiation that is towards the cancer. External radiation is the most common type of radiation used for treating ling cancer. The radiation only lasts for a few minutes each session. It is usually given once daily for five day a week for about six to eight weeks when taking this treatment. (A.P John institute cancer research) most of the time patients don’t do the radiation treatment on weekend because it gives time for normal cells to recover. The other type of radiation is internal radiation or brachytherapy. With this treatment the doctor of the lung cancer patient will put a radioactive substance sealed in with seeds, needles, catheters or weeds that are placed directly into or near the cancer. This type of treatment is often not used in lung cancer. The side effects for external or internal radiations are that lung cancer patients may experience mild skin problems, nausea, vomiting, and also since the esophagus is exposed to the radiation swallowing may be difficult. Although most of these side effects will lessen after the treatment is complete. Although most of these side effects will lessen after the treatment is complete, the patient still runs the risk of dangerous and harmful side effects. Surgery is one of the last treatments used for lung cancer patients. Surgery is usually treated by an early diagnosis usually in the stages of one and two. Surgery may be used if the cancer in one lung in the nearby lymph nodes. The reason because this type of lung cancer is usually founded in both lungs and surgery alone is not often used to treat this disease. Surgery may be used to help determine the patient’s type of lung cancer. Usually during surgery doctors will remove the lymph nodes to see if they also contain cancer. If the cancer has spread to the other body parts then most of the time surgery is not an option. Laser therapy is a narrow beam light that can also kill cancer cells. Side effects from surgery are bleeding, infection, and damage to the heart, lungs and other organs. This also shows that this treatment may not be an option for those who show up to have late stages for lung cancer, but is a treatment that still helps lung cancer. Conclusion ? Lung Cancer still kills many people in the United States and the world. Treatments are still being tested and many doctors are still trying to find a cure for this disease. Maybe someday there will be a cure for cancer.