According to the Mayo Clinic, lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer. It is found on the outer portion of the lung, but like all lung cancers, can metastasize (spread) to other parts of your body. If caught early enough, there are effective treatment options available.
Chemotherapy Treatment
Chemotherapy is a toxic medication given intravenously (through the vein) or orally (by mouth) in scheduled doses at your local hospital or clinic. According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, chemotherapy can stop lung cancer cell growth and metastasis. Some harmful side effects include nausea, vomiting and constipation.
Surgery
According to the Mayo Clinic, your thoracic surgeon (chest surgeon) may remove part or all of your lung(s). Typically, he will also obtain a lymph node sample from the middle of your chest to determine whether the cancer has spread.
Radiation Therapy
Typically, you will receive external beam radiation (EBR) where intense beams of energy are focused on your tumor to destroy the cancer cells. Nausea and vomiting can develop, but side effects of radiation are usually milder compared to chemotherapy.
Photodynamic Therapy
According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, photodynamic therapy is an available treatment option when you suffer from early stage lung adenocarcinoma. Your doctor will inject you with a light-activated drug, then apply laser therapy to the exposed tumor 1 to 2 days later.
Stages
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are four stages of lung cancer. In Stage 0, the cancer is treated through surgical resection of the lung or photodynamic therapy: in Stages I and II, surgery or radiation might be required; Stage IIIA is often treated with surgery and/or chemotherapy, while only chemotherapy is used to treat Stage IIIB; Stage IV is treated with radiation and chemotherapy only.
