A Diagnosis Of Lung Cancer Stage 3B Is Extremely Serious, But Treatment Is Still Prevalent.
The various means of analyzing and diagnosing cancer formations has led to a variation of terms that are used in conjunction. With four stages of all cancers — ranging from a 1, where there is a tumor less than an inch in size to a 4, where the cancer has spread through the body — and terminology for lymph nodes and metastatic spread, it is confusing for many patients and families having to quickly come to terms with the condition. Among patients, a diagnosis of lung cancer stage 3B is one of the most unfortunate, as it means there are limited medical treatments remaining.
All cancers will eventually spread throughout the body and find new organs to infect; at this point there will be much less hope for survival amongst patients. Indeed, lung cancers spread at a faster rate than other cancers, making it a prime condition for metastatic transfers and shorter life expectancy. At stages one or two, cancer is localized and can be (relatively) easily removed by a surgeon. At stage three or four, however, the surgical route will only temporarily delay the cancer from spreading further. At stage 3B a doctor will say there is no cure, but there is still treatment.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatment is still readily available to lung cancer victims at stages three or four, although their efficiency is greatly reduced and the survival rate drops to only around ten percent. Indeed, the chemotherapy or radiation is more often used to ease the symptoms of cancer rather than the cancer itself, allowing for stronger respiration amongst terminal cancer victims. Many oncologists recommend their patients enroll in clinical trials in order to have a chance of survival; patient advocacy groups claim that this advice is false hope and should not be a serious option for any cancer victim. It does seem, however, that maintaining a positive state of mind (made possible by the concept of treatment in a clinical trial) will prolong the average life of a cancer patient, making it a means of treatment in and of itself.
