Cancer problems are increasing in all over the world. These problems directly target those people who are not quitting their bad habits, such as smoking and drinking alcohol. Lung cancer is a result of smoking only. This cancer can rapidly spread to other organs and make the condition of the body more worse. A proper treatment is needed on time, other wise this cancer can kill a person in just few days. In this article, you are going to know the stage 4 lung cancer, including its life expectancy without treatment, survival rates, and prognosis.
Lung cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells start damaging the inner cells of the lungs. It mainly starts as primary, but sometimes caused by spreading from other parts of the body. The main reason of this cancer is smoking and pollution. This cancer is mainly divided into 4 stages, which shows the severity of the cancer. Stage 1 is for starting phase of cancer, whereas stage 4 is when cancer spreads to the other organs of the body.
Lung Cancer Stage 4 Life Expectancy Without Treatment
The life expectancy of a stage 4 lung cancer without treatment is very short. There are two types of lung cancer present, one is small cell lung cancer, and other is non small cell lung cancer. The life expectancy for a small cell lung cancer is 2 to 4 months, whereas the life expectancy for the non small cell lung cancer is around 5 to 12 months.
Five-Year Survival Rate for Different Stages
Below are some of the points mentioned for five year survival rate:
Survival Rates as per TNM Stage
Below are points mentioned for tumor, nodes, and metastasis survival rate:
- According to the TNM staging system, the M1a survival rate is 11 months.
- For M1b survival rate is 9 months.
- For M1c, the survival rate is 4 months only.
Survival Rates by Extent of Disease
The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program makes this approach. This is another type used for measuring survival rates:
- Localized: In this stage, the cancer only spread to the lung only and can be cured with high success rate. The survival rate is ranges from 65% to over 90%.
- Regional: In this stage, the cancer cells start spreading to the nearest part of the body. The survival rate in this stage is ranges from 40% to over 70%.
- Regional Spread: This is the third stage of lung cancer, where cancer cells spread to multiple parts of the body. This is a critical stage where immediate treatment is required. The survival rate in this stage is from 15% to over 40%.
- Distant: This is the stage where the chances of survival are minimum. In this stage survival rate is 5% to 10% only.
Survival Rates by Type
Here we mentioned two types of lung cancer with their survival rates:
- Small Cell Lung Cancer: The life expectancy for small cell lung cancer is around 3% for 5 years in the last stage after diagnosis. This is the lowest rate where the changes of recovery is minimum.
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: For non small cell lung cancer the life expectancy is 7% for 5 years in the last and most critical stage. The chances of survival is minimum but more than the small cell lung cancer.
Factors that Affect the Life Expectancy in Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Below are some of the factors mentioned that affect the life expectancy in stage 4 lung cancer:
Types of Stage 4 Lung Cancer
The type of stage also affects the life expectancy in stage 4 lung cancer:
- Stage 4A: In this stage the cancer cells spread over the lungs and other parts near the lungs. This stage reduces the chance of survival to minimum.
- Stage 4B: In this stage the cancer cells spread totally within the lung and other organs of the body, such as liver, kidney, brain, and heart. In this case the life expectancy is close to zero.
Causes of Stage 4 Lung Cancer
The causes of stage 4 lung cancer affect the life expectancy of patients:
- Carcinogenic Exposure: It is the primary cause of cancer related problems in the body. These exposures are not noticeable in the starting phase but can negatively affect the lungs or any other organ present in the body.
- Hereditary Factor: This is another factor that affects the life expectancy of lung cancer patients. Some of the patients have cancer due to the gene mutation that increases over time.
- Secondhand Smoke: Patients who are living and spending time with smokers or inhale a lot of smoke daily get affected by lung cancer problems.
- Air pollution: This is another factor that affects the life expectancy of lung cancer patients. Living in those places where the air is polluted can cause cancer problems easily. This problem reduces the life expectancy of patients with lung cancer.
Symptoms and Signs
Some symptoms are mentioned below that can affect the life expectancy:
- Persistent Cough: Patients who are facing problems like continuous cough with blood have higher chances of lung cancer.
- Chest Pain: People feeling pain in their chest even without doing any physical work have changes of lung cancer.
- Recurrent Infections: The continous comming back of infection in the body can be a symptom of lung cancer.
- Bone Pain: Persistent bone pain is an advanced symptom of lung cancer. Patients are recommended to consult their situation with the experienced doctors.
Other Factors that Can also Affect
Some other factors are mentioned below:
- Tobacco Use: This is the main factor that can increase or decrease the life expectancy of lung cancer. People who quit the use of tobacco product live longer compared to those who are still consuming it.
- Treatment Type: The type of treatment also affects the life expectancy. For last stage lung cancer, the combination of surgery and chemotherapy is used, which increases the life expectancy.
- Age: The older age people life expectancy is lower during lung cancer compared to those who are younger.
- Gender: In diseases like lung cancer, females have higher life expectancy compared to males.
Diagnosis & Treatment Options Available for Bone Cancer Treatment
Patients should know about the treatment options and diagnostic techniques available for stage 4 lung cancer treatment. This information helps them in selecting the right treatment and diagnosis. Below are some of the diagnosis & treatment options mentioned:
Diagnosis Options
- Imaging Test: This is a primary test which doctor used to see the problem through a visualization technique. The machines used in this test include X-ray machines, MRI, and CT scans.
- Biopsy: This test is used before lung cancer treatment. Lung biopsy requires a small sample of lung tissue or tumor for examination in the lab for finding the cancer in the lungs.
- Blood Test: This is another important test during diagnosis process because it helps the doctor in finding the presence of cancerous cells in the blood.
Treatment Options
Here are some treatment options that are used to treat stage 4 lung cancer:
Surgery
It is a primary option for lung cancer treatment. In this process, the doctors remove the cancerous cells out from the lungs with some healthy tissue present near damage area. This requires experienced surgeons and staff for high success rate. After completing the surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy is used to remove the remaining cancer cells.
Chemotherapy
This is a non invasive technique in which oral and IV drugs are used to kill the cancerous cells present in the lungs. This is used with the combination of surgery, but if cancer is in growing stage, then it can handle it without surgery. It is a safer process compared to a surgery and does not require any insertion.
Radiation Therapy
This is another treatment option which is used to kill the cancerous cells. In this process, targeted high power beams are used to destroy the cancer cells. This is a modern method used for killing canceros cell and does not require any invasive techniques.
Can this Lung Cancer be Prevented?
Stage 4 lung cancer is very tough to prevent, but if the patients follow these given tips, then there is a chance of increasing their life expectancy.
- Following a balanced and nutritional diet can help you in improving the life after lung cancer. Eating green vegetables and avoiding high sodium and high fat diet is best for lung cancer patients.
- Quitting smoking during lung cancer can increase the life expectancy of patients. So it is very important for patients to reduce all types of tobbaco cunsumptions.
- Patients who are living in the high polluted area have high chance of lung cancer. It is recommended to avoid those places where the pollution levels is high.
- Physical fitness is also important for the health of lung. Doing regular exercise can improve the lung health and life expectancy after lung cancer.
Conclusion
Stage 4 lung cancer is a serious disease that can kill a patient in just few days. It is very important for patients to know about the lung cancer and follow all the given guidance carefully for better recovery. Patients who are noticing any sign of lung cancer are recommended to consult your problem with a reputed doctor. The doctor will guide you and give you information regarding your problems and treatment options that can cure the disease. This is all in this article. We will meet you in our next informative article. Till then, take care and stay tuned.