How is stage 4 lung cancer diagnosed?

In stage 4, cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver or bones.
As a consequence, many patients go to their healthcare providers when the disease is at an advanced stage when symptoms become more troublesome and persist.

Symptoms to watch out for include:

• Persistent cough
• A change in a persistent cough
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Loss of weight
• Aches or pains while breathing or coughing. 
• Coughing up phlegm (sputum) with signs of blood. 

Diagnosis helps in the detection of the disease. In order to obtain an accurate and precise diagnosis, analysis of cancerous cell tissue is very crucial. There are a variety of tests available in order to diagnose lung cancer.

Bronchoscopy: It is a kind of visual examination of the trachea and internal parts of the lungs. Specimens of tissue can be taken from inside the patient lungs in order to gather cells for analysis.
Cytology: In this, a sample of sputum is taken to in order to specify the diagnosis and the type of lung cancer
Needle biopsy: In order to obtain cells for analysis, needle biopsy takes place along with a CT scan.

Medications for Lung Cancer:

Treatment options vary depending on the type and stage of cancer in addition to its size, position in the lung, whether it has reached to the other parts of the body. And also the overall physical health of the patient plays a major role.
In general, the treatment options for NSCLC are:

• Surgery: Patients with early-stage, localised Non Small Cell Lung Cancer may be successfully treated using surgery. Approximately, up to 70% of patients survive for at least five years after diagnosis if treated at this stage, with a proportion of these patients being cured.

• Radiotherapy: For patients with un-operated on cancer, radiotherapy may be offered alone or in combination with chemotherapy.

• Treatment with the help of radiotherapy plays a key role in order to provide control and relief of the symptoms of lung cancer.

• Chemotherapy: Most of the cases of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer diagnosed at an advanced stage 1, and in this stage, the cancer has already spread to the other parts and in such cases, surgery could be difficult. 

• Biological (targeted) Therapy: Targeted therapy is relatively a new approach to cancer treatment that targets specific biological processes often essential to tumour growth.

• Erlotinib 150 mg & Gefitinib 250 mg is quite popular amongst the doctors for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. 

• As a targeted therapy, Erlotinib 150 mg is available at the lowest price. Erlotinib tablets should be taken orally.