Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a common oncological disease which is widespread in the developed countries. Its frequency is 50-80 cases per 100.000 people. The peak incidence is at the age of 55-65 years.
The Booking Health portal presents 98 German clinics specializing in lung cancer treatment
Show all clinicsLung cancer – Diagnostics
Early diagnostics of the lung cancer is complicated. 70% of patients visit a doctor when the disease in incurable. This is due to the lack of pain syndrome, because there are no nerve endings in the lungs.
The main methods of diagnostics are radiography and sputum cytology, or bronchoalveolar lavage (this way abnormal cells can be identified). Computed tomography is used as an alternative to radiography, because this examination is more informative.
To assess the stage of the pathological process and to determine the histological forms of cancer, bronchoscopy with biopsy is normally performed. It is the most informative method for the central cancer diagnostics, because small bronchi can’t be reached with the help of a bronchoscope.
The other diagnostic methods are:
- Transthoracic aspiration needle biopsy (a needle is inserted through a puncture in the body)
- Diagnostic thoracotomy (a surgery with penetration into the chest cavity is performed when it is impossible to establish the diagnosis by other methods)
- Mediastinoscopy is an invasive diagnostic method allowing to assess the state of the lymph nodes
- Biopsy of the neck and cervical lymph nodes can be performed within the framework of mediastinoscopy to determine the stage of the pathological process and histological form of the cancer
Best clinics for the lung cancer diagnostics in Germany:
Lung cancer – Treatment
When diagnosed at stage 1-3, lung cancer treatment in Germany starts from surgery, while small tumors can be destroyed by means of cryoablation. Nevertheless, only 20% of patients can be completely cured with the help of surgery, which is due to the late visiting of the hospital. The surgery can also be contraindicated in the following cases:
- Unresectable tumor
- Presence of the distant metastases, which make the operation useless
- Presence of contraindications to surgery (cardiac or respiratory failure, decompensated diseases of other internal organs)
The volume of a surgery depends on the stage of the pathological process, tumor growth form, its size, presence and localization of metastases. Following parts can be removed in the course of surgery:
- Lung lobe – lobectomy
- Two lobes of the lung – bilobectomy
- The whole lung – pneumonectomy
Simultaneously, the regional lymph nodes, parts of the chest wall, blood vessels, pericardium pieces, diaphragm, trachea, oesophagus, and other tissues, which are affected by the tumor, can be removed, if necessary. Laser treatment of lung cancer in Germany may be applied in such clinical situation.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can slow down the growth of malformation and reduce its size making the patient’s life easier. But these techniques are additional. If they are applied without surgery, they will not affect the patient’s survival.
The costs for the treatment in the specialized cancer centers in Germany are as follows:
- The cost of segmental resection for lung cancer is between 22,200 EUR and 34,100 EUR.
- The cost of da Vinci lobectomy for lung cancer is between 25,000 EUR and 31,500 EUR.
- The cost of extended pneumonectomy for lung cancer is between 30,000 EUR and 45,400 EUR.
- The cost of chemotherapy for lung cancer is between 7,200 EUR and 12,100 EUR.
Lung cancer – Innovative treatment
Together with the conventional treatment methods, new options for treatment for lung cancer in Germany are introduced. They will help to prolong the patients’ lives.
Dendritic cells are the immunotherapy method. Dendritic cells are taken from the blood or bone marrow. Then they are cultured and injected subcutaneously, so that the patient's immune system begins to fight the tumor.
The main advantages of the treatment of lung cancer with the help of dendritic cells are:
- Higher efficiency in comparison to radiation and chemotherapy
- Efficacy at stage one-three and at the advanced cancer stages
- Better tolerability
- Outpatient treatment
Targeted therapy presupposes the use of drugs that can selectively affect tumor, without killing healthy cells, including those that divide quickly. Only in 2016 two new drugs for targeted therapy of lung cancer appeared. Target therapy is much more effective than chemotherapy, and is better tolerated.
Treatment of stage 4 lung cancer
Even stage 4 lung cancer is not a death sentence if you receive medical help from the world's best Oncology Clinics. Studies show a significant decrease in mortality from this disease in recent years, which is primarily due to the introduction of more effective drug therapy.
In developed countries, patients with stage 4 lung cancer receive personalized targeted therapy and immunotherapy, while conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy is becoming less important. Advanced methods of drug treatment are much more effective. They target specific genetic changes in cancer cells, so treatment is tailored to individual needs. Patients may be prescribed VEGF, KRAS, ALK, BRAF, MEK, RET, or HER2 inhibitors. Therapy with various EGFR inhibitors is also individually selected for squamous cell carcinoma, exon 20 mutation, T790M mutation, or ROS1 mutation.
Most targeted drugs are antibodies. They target specific proteins in the cancer cell. But in addition to conventional antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates are used in developed countries for the treatment of stage 4 lung cancer. Chemotherapy drugs are attached to these antibodies. Antibodies deliver the drug directly to cancer cells, which increases the effectiveness of antitumor therapy.
In addition, some patients undergo surgical treatment for stage 4 cancer. This is possible in stage IVA, when a patient has single metastases. In this case, a combined operation can be performed to simultaneously remove tumor foci in different parts of the body, for example, in the lung and liver or in the lung and brain.
Immunotherapy for lung cancer
Most lung tumors are sensitive to immunotherapy. It is performed using immune checkpoint inhibitors. According to the mechanism of action, these may be PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors, which are prescribed in conjunction with chemotherapy, as well as CTLA-4 inhibitors, used in addition to other immunologic drugs.
These drugs do not have a direct cytotoxic effect on the tumor but only remove the "disguise" from it, making it difficult to evade the immune response. As a result, the patient's own immune cells are more effective at inhibiting the development of cancer. This type of immunotherapy is well tolerated and has a low incidence of adverse reactions. In addition, immunotherapy for lung cancer is much more convenient compared to cytostatic immunotherapy since patients do not need long courses of treatment. The drugs are administered once every few months.
Dendritic cells for lung cancer treatment
Dendritic cells (DCs) are used as an experimental method of immunotherapy for lung cancer in developed countries. They take the antigen apart and show it to T cells, which then attack the tumor. The essence of dendritic cell therapy is that monocytes are taken from the human body, matured into DCs, treated with tumor antigens, and then returned to the body. Now DCs carry information about the antigen and transmit it to T cells, triggering an immune response.
Such therapeutic vaccination for lung cancer shows good results both at an advanced stage for simultaneous impact on all tumors in the body and as an adjuvant treatment because a dendritic cell-based vaccine can reduce the risk of relapse of the disease after surgery.
We also recommend that you watch the video on our YouTube channel "Booking Health", where the leading specialists of the specialized clinic talk about the advantages and peculiarities of dendritic cell therapy.
Best clinics for the lung cancer treatment in Germany:
Lung cancer – Rehabilitation
Most patients require rehabilitation after the treatment of complex oncological diseases. It includes the following aspects:
- Prevention of complications that may occur as a result of treatment. It can be pneumonia, lymphostasis, thromboembolic or infectious complications.
- Restoration of general health. The elimination of the consequences after surgeries and chemotherapy is carried out. The functions of internal organs are restored with the help of various medical and rehabilitation measures.
- Restoration of occupation. A person must not just stay alive. He must have physical and intellectual capabilities, which are sufficient for employment.
- Psychological support. First of all, it is required for patients, whose occupational performance was harmed because of the disease. Patients with deterioration of appearance also will benefit from psychological help.
- Restoration of appearance. If necessary, you can use surgical and other methods in Germany to restore appearance defects caused by cancer. For example, to carry out the reconstruction of the breast.
- Social and domestic rehabilitation. A person with reduced workability is trained to act in the society and perform everyday tasks in new conditions.
In German clinics, rehabilitation is carried out in a comprehensive manner. The patients are provided with qualitative care here. Doctors' monitoring and conservative treatment allow to avoid complications, which usually happen after treatment of oncological diseases. Psychotherapy, physiotherapy and physical therapy are actively used in Germany.
Specialists in different medical spheres take part in the rehabilitation process. These are massage therapists, speech therapists, specialists in physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapists. Social and occupational therapy is carried out, as well. If necessary, people are taught how to eat properly, take care of a postoperative scar, etc.
In Germany, rehabilitation is carried out with the maximum level of comfort for the patient. A person feels the results quite quickly and it improves his motivation and promotes further recovery.
Author:
The article was edited by medical expert, board certified Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
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The cost of services includes
Here you can find the cost of treatment for this disease at the German University Hospitals. Leave a request and we will provide a free consultation with a doctor and will start organizing the whole treatment process.
The program includes the following:
- Issuing of an invitation for getting a visa for treatment as quick as possible
- Fixing an appointment at a time convenient for you
- Preliminary organization of a comprehensive examination and discussion of the forthcoming treatment plan
- Arranging transfer from the airport to the hospital and back to the airport
- Provision of interpreting services and services of a personal medical coordinator
- If necessary, assistance in the organization of further surgical treatment
- Provision of a medical insurance against treatment complications covering up to 200,000 euro
- Preparation and translation of medical records and recommendations from the hospital
- Assistance in the subsequent communication with your attending physician, including consultations on repeated X-ray images through the unique medical document management system E-doc
