Stage of Lung Cancer

Stage 4 Lung Cancer – Symptoms, Treatment, and Prognoses

Stage 4 lung oncology (also called terminal lung cancer) is a malignant process formed from epithelial lung tissue. At the final stage of the disease, the body formats multiple foci of lung metastasis in various organs. Lung cancer refers to the type of malignant disease that occurs for a long time in a latent (asymptomatic) form, which significantly complicates diagnosis. Among different lung cancer stages, this type of cancer is difficult to treat and requires aggressive therapy.

Can Lung Cancer Be Cured?

Overall, there are 3 methods of lung cancer treatment – surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The surgical method is used for non-small cellular forms of oncology. During the operation, the tumor is usually removed with part of the lung, or the lung is completely removed.

Radiation therapy of the lung is the second most effective method of treatment. This method treats tumor diseases by means of ionizing radiation.

Chemotherapy is a method based on the introduction of drugs into the patient’s body that can selectively inhibit the growth of cancer cells without significant damage to the healthy tissues and organs of the patient.

In the late stages of the disease, provided none of the treatments have worked, the patient is given palliative care. Palliative treatment of lung cancer in the 4th stage includes palliative surgery, palliative chemotherapy, radiation exposure, the introduction of analgesic drugs, oxygen therapy, and psychological assistance.

Can one be cured of stage 4 lung cancer? History knows such facts. But unfortunately, such cases are isolated. Most often, the best help to a cancer patient is daily care and relief of symptoms of the disease. If you or someone you love are in need of palliative care, you can contact All American Hospice specialists. All of our caregivers are fully trained and equipped for work with terminal patients and provide high-quality assistance for every person.

Prognoses for Stage 4 Lung Cancer

For the most part, the life expectancy of patients diagnosed with lung cancer depends on the stage at which the disease is detected. How long does a person have to live with stage 4 lung cancer? Well, it’s difficult to say without knowing all the aspects of the disease, genetic inheritance, and external factors (environment, wealth, and so on).

At stage 4, the tumor grows beyond the lung. Metastases affect the most important human organs. At this stage of lung cancer, tumor control treatment is ineffective, so only palliative care is used, which is aimed at improving the quality of life of an incurable patient. Most patients at this stage of the disease die within 6-12 months. Unfortunately, this is the only answer to the “how long can you live with lung cancer” question.

To have a sufficiently high chance of curing lung cancer, it is necessary to detect the disease and start treatment at stages 1-2. But, as we said earlier, at these stages, symptoms are not very pronounced. Therefore, it is very important for people to have annual preventive medical check-ups.