How Is Lung Cancer Prognosis Determined?
A lung cancer prognosis is a doctor’s way of attempting to predict the possible end result that may be experienced or expected in the life of a person who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. This is done by first diagnosing the disease and then determining the stage that the specific case of lung cancer has advanced to. Other factors that are considered include the age of the individual and the overall status of that person’s health. Each and every individual prognosis will be different from one person to the next based on this information. Other information that is used consists of information that is gathered by doctors from large groups of people with the same stage of cancer under the same conditions and within the same age group. A prognosis is only a prediction or educated guess as to what a specific person’s outcome will be. No one can say with any certainty the exact outcome of lung cancer even with all these factors considered.
Lung cancer prognosis depends largely on the stage and advancement of the cancer, how much the cancer has spread or metastasized, how the person responds to treatments and what treatments are available in each particular case. Because every individual responds to certain treatments in different ways a person’s overall prognosis can be greatly affected in the end. A treatment that works well for one individual may be little change in the condition of another person and that same treatment may be completely ineffective in still other people even when all cases consist of the same stage of cancer and same basic conditions.
In cases when lung cancer is detected in early enough stages and the individual is good general health and relatively young that person’s prognosis is usually fairly good that the person will recover and resume a normal life for the remainder of their days. However if a person’s health is not good such as that of an older person or a person in very advanced stage the chances decrease significantly. When lung cancer develops the longer it is left untreated it begins to spread. When this happens it moves through the body and affects many other areas other than just the lungs. The more advanced the cancer becomes the worse the prognosis is going to be because as the cancer progresses and advances the fewer treatment options that may be available.
Although there are several treatment options available for individuals who develop lung cancer these become limited as the cancer advances. In advanced stages of lung cancer some treatments may no longer be available while still others may be completely ineffective. This is why early detection is so important when determining a person’s lung cancer prognosis.
If you even suspect you may be experiencing any of the symptoms associated with lung cancer or any other unusual symptoms it is imperative that you seek the advice and counsel of your health care provider. The earlier this cancer is detected the better the chances for successful treatment.
