Advanced radiation and brachytherapy for lung cancer

What is highly evolved lung cancer radiotherapy? PET to locate the tumor, Amifostine to protect the healthy lung, Tomotherapy to target the tumor with radiation, and Brachytherapy to treat from the center of the tumor.

Lung Cancer

Our treatment of lung cancer starts with detailed staging scans, to know exactly what stage we are dealing with and where the cancer is. We frequently use a PET/CT scan to find all the active cancer, then use tomotherapy to target it. Tomotherapy is one of the most advanced and targeted forms of radiation available today. We add amifostine, a radioprotectant drug, to reduce the damage that radiation can cause to healthy lung tissue. Brachytherapy is added if the tumor is visibly protruding into the major airways on bronchoscopy. A dash of chemotherapy helps enhance the power of the radiation, and follow-up chemotherapy may kill any renegade cancer cells which have escaped into the rest of the body. Add proper nutrition, some recommended supplements and the right attitude and your body is even better able to help in the fight.

Put all these ingredients together and you have a recipe for a very advanced regimene to combat lung cancer. A regimene that is so much more sophisticated than what is commonly offered at many other hospitals.

Lung Brachytherapy

To help open an almost-blocked lung airway

To help stop bleeding

To retreat a previously irradiated lung cancer

To use in addition to regular external beam irradiation to increase the radiation dose and chance of cure

To use alone for the treatment of in-situ (very early) lung cancers

In addition to brachytherapy, CTCA has a comprehensive lung cancer treatment center. It is directed by our excellent pulmonologist, Dr. Daniel Nader. Dr. Nader directs the LIFE lung bronchoscopy program, which is a special blue light bronchoscope which enables him to find very early cancers, and hopefully treat while there is still an excellent chance of cure. He also uses photodynamic therapy, which uses a laser to help open up blocked lung airways and treat early tumors.

LIFE Lung Bronchoscopy

This is a special blue light bronchoscope which can see cancerous changes in the lung airways earlier than they would appear with a normal bronchoscope. This allows cancer to be detected earlier in the screening process, and it is also an excellent way to monitor for lung cancer recurrences after previous treatment.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Like brachytherapy, PDT can be used to help open up a blocked airway, and can used for retreating cancers and also for treating very early (in-situ) lung cancers. PDT involves injecting a photoporphyrin substance in the blood, which makes tumors respond to the cold red laser light. The laser is shone on the tumor during a bronchoscopy procedure, and the exposed tumor will die and slough off.


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What is highly evolved lung cancer radiotherapy? PET to locate the tumor, Amifostine to protect the healthy lung, Tomotherapy to target the tumor with radiation, and Brachytherapy to treat from the center of the tumor.
Home Tomotherapy		Lung Cancer Our treatment of lung cancer starts with detailed staging scans, to know exactly what stage we are dealing with and where the cancer is. We frequently use a PET/CT scan to find all the active cancer, then use tomotherapy to target it. Tomotherapy is one of the most advanced and targeted forms of radiation available today. We add amifostine, a radioprotectant drug, to reduce the damage that radiation can cause to healthy lung tissue. Brachytherapy is added if the tumor is visibly protruding into the major airways on bronchoscopy. A dash of chemotherapy helps enhance the power of the radiation, and follow-up chemotherapy may kill any renegade cancer cells which have escaped into the rest of the body. Add proper nutrition, some recommended supplements and the right attitude and your body is even better able to help in the fight. Put all these ingredients together and you have a recipe for a very advanced regimene to combat lung cancer. A regimene that is so much more sophisticated than what is commonly offered at many other hospitals. Lung Brachytherapy CTCA in Tulsa has performed approximately 1000 HDR lung brachytherapy treatments. Lung brachytherapy can be used almost any time a tumor can be seen in an airway on bronchoscopy. During bronchoscopy, a thin plastic tube is placed down the nose, and down into the airways of the lung, into the diseased bronchus. The bronchoscope is then removed, but the thin tube will stay comfortably in place for about 45 minutes during which time a brachytherapy treatment will be given through the segment of the tube which is lying against the cancer. This effectively treats the cancer from the inside-out. Lung brachytherapy can be used in the following situations: To help open an almost-blocked lung airway To help stop bleeding To retreat a previously irradiated lung cancer To use in addition to regular external beam irradiation to increase the radiation dose and chance of cure To use alone for the treatment of in-situ (very early) lung cancers In addition to brachytherapy, CTCA has a comprehensive lung cancer treatment center. It is directed by our excellent pulmonologist, Dr. Daniel Nader. Dr. Nader directs the LIFE lung bronchoscopy program, which is a special blue light bronchoscope which enables him to find very early cancers, and hopefully treat while there is still an excellent chance of cure. He also uses photodynamic therapy, which uses a laser to help open up blocked lung airways and treat early tumors. LIFE Lung Bronchoscopy This is a special blue light bronchoscope which can see cancerous changes in the lung airways earlier than they would appear with a normal bronchoscope. This allows cancer to be detected earlier in the screening process, and it is also an excellent way to monitor for lung cancer recurrences after previous treatment. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Like brachytherapy, PDT can be used to help open up a blocked airway, and can used for retreating cancers and also for treating very early (in-situ) lung cancers. PDT involves injecting a photoporphyrin substance in the blood, which makes tumors respond to the cold red laser light. The laser is shone on the tumor during a bronchoscopy procedure, and the exposed tumor will die and slough off. Surgery Surgery offers the highest chance of success for stages I and II lung cancers. It can also be used in selected stage 3 or rarely stage 4 lung cancers in conjunction with other therapies. We have an excellent lung surgeon on staff. External Radiation Our center uses tomotherapy and 3D conformal radiation therapy and occasionally intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT ) to treat lung tumors to high dosages, while limiting the amount of radiation which the healthy lung receives.
Keywords: bronchus airway tumor neoplasm stage I II III IV 1 2 3 4 advanced radiation cure cured surgery bronchoscopy thorocotomy lung neoplasm bronchus bronchial cancer neoplastic respiratory gating hemoptysis tumour

Lung Cancer

Lung Brachytherapy

LIFE Lung Bronchoscopy

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Surgery

External Radiation