Traditional treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) in Russia is quite effective, but it can lead to serious aesthetic disadvantages after an open thoracotomy. In clinics in Israel, Korea, China, Germany, Turkey, India, and Singapore, advanced methods are actively used to improve patient outcome and safety: proton therapy, immunotherapy, nanoparticle chemotherapy delivery, and minimally invasive surgery. In addition, lung cancer treatment abroad includes the opportunity to participate in clinical trials of more effective drugs.
Directions of lung cancer treatment abroad
Minimally invasive surgery
In Israel, Korea, China, and Germany, lung cancer surgery can be performed in several minimally invasive ways, which include:
- Video—controlled thoracoscopic surgery is performed through three tiny incisions where long thin instruments and a video camera are inserted.;
- Robotic surgery is performed with the help of a robot surgeon, which increases accuracy and safety.
These methods provide the same effect as with standard thoracotomy, but do not require opening the chest.
Some types of minimally invasive surgery are aimed at alleviating the symptoms of lung cancer, including:
- laser surgery (opens a blocked airway);
- stent placement (frees the airway);
- cryosurgery (freezes cancerous tissue);
- placement of a catheter to drain fluid that may accumulate in the pleural cavity (the layer of tissue surrounding the lungs).
Chemotherapy
For patients with aggressive or recurrent disease, genetic testing is performed abroad to find individual mutations. These indicators allow you to choose the combination of drugs that is best suited for a particular patient's tumor.
Radiation therapy for lung cancer abroad
New methods of radiation therapy for lung cancer are being actively used in hospitals in India, Turkey and China, ensuring maximum impact on the tumor with the least damage to healthy cells.
- Brachytherapy — radiation sources are placed inside the tumor through catheters and removed after the procedure.
- Radiosurgery and 3D conformal radiation therapy - doctors accurately visualize the location and shape of a tumor in order to direct radiation directly at it.
Photodynamic therapy
In Germany, photodynamic therapy is used to treat patients with early-stage lung cancer or reduce symptoms of the disease. During the procedure, a photosensitive chemical is injected into the body, which lingers in cancer cells for a longer period than in normal tissue. The chemical is then activated by a laser, which initiates the destruction of the tumor. Thus, photodynamic therapy ensures rapid removal of the malignant neoplasm without surgical incisions.
