Overview of Lung Cancer

How to Cure Patients Who Are Suffering from Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is the most common cancer amongst both men and women, making up almost 25℅ of all cancer deaths.

Each year numerous people die of lung cancer than of breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

Now, prevention of lung cancer is possible by eliminating inhaling of cancer-causing substances such as tobacco smoke.

Also, with the help of numerous new and enhanced treatments, lung cancer can be treatable when being detected at the early stage.

What is Lung Cancer: We can often address Lung cancer as lung carcinoma, which is mainly a malignant lung tumor developed by the uncontrolled growth of cells in tissues of the lung.

Most of the lung cancer that begins in the lung called primary lung cancers are carcinoma.

The two most common types of cancer are: 1. small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) 2. Non-Small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Cure for Lung Cancer: Treatment may vary but include self-care, medications (Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapy), Surgery (Pulmonary lobectomy, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and Wedge resection), Medical procedure (Thoracotomy and Radiation therapy) and supportive care (Palliative care).

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Lung Cancer Medications: (Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapy) : Targeted Therapy for lung cancer include Anti-angiogenesis drugs include Bevacizumab (Avastin), should be given along with chemotherapy drug and immunotherapy drug atezolizumab (Tecentriq), Ramucirumab (Cyramza) along with docetaxel.

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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor include Afatinib (Gilotrif), Dacomitinib (Vizimpro), Erlotinib (Tarceva), Gefitinib (Iressa) Necitumumab (Portrazza) and Osimertinib (Tagrisso).

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Immunotherapy drugs include Nivolumab (Opdivo), Atezolizumab (Tecentriq), Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and Durvalumab ( Imfinzi).

In most cases of patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer that can not be treated with the targeted therapy, immunotherapy or immunotherapy plus chemotherapy preferred for treatment.

Immunotherapy can cause various side effects include skin reactions, diarrhea, weight loss or increase and flu-like symptoms.

Two oral anti-cancer drugs that inhibit EGFR Erlotinib (Tarceva) and Gefitinib 250 mg (Iressa), have recently been launched and approved for use in lung cancer (Non-Small cell lung cancer).

Gefitinib 250 mg Tablets: Gefitinib is a drug used for certain breast and lung cancers. This medication is effective in cancers with mutated and overactive EGFR. Gefitinib demonstrated as a first-line treatment to significantly improve progression-free survival versus platinum doublet regime in patients harbouring such mutations.

Gefitinib 250 mg tablets, approved as a first-line treatment for patients with EGFR mutation for locally advanced or metastatic, unresectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

As Gefitinib is a kind of selective chemotherapeutic agent, it's tolerability profile is way better than previously approved cytotoxic agents.

How to take Gefitinib: Always take this drug exactly as your healthcare practitioner has told you. The recommended gefitinib dose is one 250 mg tablet daily, should be taken at about the same time each day. You can take the gefitinib tablet either with or without food.

Avoid taking antacids (to reduce the acid level of your stomach) 2 hours prior to or one hour following taking gefitinib.

Very Common Side Effects: The most commonly reported side effects are as follows: •

Diarrhoea

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Vomiting

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Nausea

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Acne-like rash

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Loss of appetite

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Weakness

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Red or sore mouth

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Increase of a liver enzyme

Drug Overdose: In case you've taken more tablets than you prescribed, talk to your healthcare practitioner straight away.

Missed Dose: What to do in case you forget to take a gefitinib tablet depends on how long it is until your upcoming gefitinib dose.

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In case it is 12 hours or more until your upcoming dose: take the forgotten one as soon as you remember. Then take the upcoming dose as usual.

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In case it is less than 12 hours until your upcoming dose: skip the forgotten one.

Then consume the upcoming dose at the usual time.

It is not recommended to take a double dose (a couple of tablets at the same time) to make up for a missed/forgotten dose.

Source: https://theindianpharma.mystrikingly.com/blog/lung-cancertreatment