Lung Cancer Final Stages

If lung cancer is caught early, it has a good rate of recovery as compared to some other forms of cancer. However, detecting lung cancer early can be problematic, since according to statistics from 2002, 180,000 Americans were diagnosed with the disease and nearly a quarter of those individuals exhibited no symptoms, even in the advanced stages.

Significance

• Catching lung cancer early is important. By the time it hits its final stages, lung cancer usually spreads to the liver, bones and/or brain, making most surgical and other treatment options impossible.

Identification

• The final stage of lung cancer is known as Stage IV, when the cancer metastasizes and spreads to other areas of the body. This period can be highly painful and mostly relieved through chemotherapy drugs.

Considerations

• Due to the fact that all patients are different, only a personal analysis from a qualified physician can inform a person suffering from the disease what can be done to relieve the symptoms.

Features

• Advanced symptoms during the final stages of lung cancer include fatigue, join pain, shortness of breath and dry mouth. Many patients are also highly susceptible to respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Effects

• Many people do not ultimately succumb to the actual cancer in the lungs. Due to its ability to spread to other parts of the body, most people die from the impacts on the brain or liver. Much of the process during this stage revolves around making the patient comfortable rather than curing the disease.