Câncer de pulmão: entenda as opções de tratamento
Lung cancer is an important public health condition in Brazil, both because of the number of people affected by the disease and because of the health problems of these people and the increase in mortality¹.
It is the third most common type of cancer in Brazil¹, behind breast and prostate tumors, but it is the leader in deaths. In 2018, there were 34,511 new cases and 31,856 deaths¹.
Data from the National Cancer Institute (INCA) indicate that, of every 100 patients diagnosed with lung cancer, only 18 will have survived the disease after 5 years 2 . Among the causes for this high number of deaths, late diagnosis¹ stands out.
In Brazil, 70% of cases are diagnosed in stages when the disease is locally advanced or disseminated 3 .
The therapeutic conduct must be defined by the physician, who analyzes the patient's history. The stage of the disease, the patient's general state of health, lung function and characteristics of the cancer are taken into account 4 . Treatment can also include more than one therapy option.
To treat lung cancer, we have:
- surgery: it is an invasive procedure to remove the injured tumor tissue. Depending on the severity of the disease, part or all of the lung is removed, in addition to the lymph nodes. Different surgical techniques can be used and also combined with other therapies to increase the chances of cure 5 .
- immunotherapy: through drugs administered intravenously, the patient's immune system is stimulated to recognize and destroy cancer cells 6 .
- chemotherapy: these are drugs given intravenously or orally that destroy cancer cells. Different chemotherapy drugs can be used and combined according to need 7 .
- radiotherapy: consists of the application of ionizing radiation to destroy the tumor or inhibit its growth. The application is painless, resembles performing an X-ray and lasts a few minutes. It causes some adverse effects and can be combined with other therapeutic options 8 .
- terapia-alvo: é um tipo de medicamento que ataca especificamente ou ao menos preferencialmente determinados elementos encontrados nas células cancerígenas9.
O câncer de pulmão é uma doença muito agressiva. Logo, torna-se necessário estabelecer tratamentos cada vez mais eficazes frente a enfermidade.
Na Boehringer Ingelheim Brasil, temos o compromisso de desenvolver medicamentos inovadores que ajudem a melhorar a qualidade de vida dos pacientes.
Referências
1. Instituto Nacional de Câncer – Ministério da Saúde. Disponível em: https://www.inca.gov.br/tipos-de-cancer/cancer-de-pulmao#:~:text=A%20taxa%20de%20mortalidade%20de,e%2021%25%20para%20mulheres) . Acesso em: 01 jul. 2020.
2. Mathias C, Prado GF, Mascarenhas E, et al. Lung Cancer in Brazil. J Thorac Oncol. 2020;15(2):170-175.
3. Tratamento do Câncer de Pulmão de Não Pequenas Células por Estágio, Oncoguia. Disponível em: http://www.oncoguia.org.br/conteudo/tratamento-do-cancer-de-pulmao-de-nao-pequenas-celulas-por-estagio/6448/1220/ . Acesso em: 29 out. 2020.
4. Cirurgia do Câncer de Pulmão de Não Pequenas Células, Oncoguia. Disponível em: http://www.oncoguia.org.br/conteudo/cirurgia-do-cancer-de-pulmao-de-nao-pequenas-celulas/1569/1220/ . Acesso em: 29 out. 2020.
5. Imunoterapia para Câncer de Pulmão de Não Pequenas Células, Oncoguia. Disponível em: http://www.oncoguia.org.br/conteudo/imunoterapia-para-cancer-de-pulmao-de-nao-pequenas-celulas/1581/1220/ . Acesso em: 29 out. 2020.
6. Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Oncoguide. Available at: http://www.oncoguia.org.br/conteudo/quimioterapia-do-cancer-de-pulmao-de-nao-pequenas-celulas/1571/1220/ . Accessed on: 29 Oct 2020.
7. Radiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Oncoguide. Available at: http://www.oncoguia.org.br/conteudo/radioterapia-para-cancer-de-pulmao-de-nao-pequenas-celulas/1570/1220/ . Accessed on: 29 Oct. 2020.
8. Targeted Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Oncoguide. Available at: http://www.oncoguia.org.br/conteudo/tratamento-do-cancer-de-pulmao-de-nao-pequenas-celulas-por-estagio/6448/1220/ . Accessed on: 29 Oct. 2020.