"This group" has an increased risk of lung squamous cell carcinoma! Immune target relay treatment strives for survival
According to the latest cancer registration report released by the Taiwan Health Promotion Administration, lung cancer has overtaken colorectal cancer for the first time and has become the “new cancer king”. Among the majority of lung cancer groups, squamous cell lung cancer (also known as lung squamous cell carcinoma) is directly related to smoking. Lung squamous cell carcinoma usually occurs in the center of the lungs. Although it grows slowly, it can spread over a large area and should not be ignored.
Men who smoke in middle-aged age should beware of rising risk of lung squamous cell carcinoma
Chen Zhongyue, director of the Department of Thoracic Medicine at E-Da Hospital, explained that the types of lung cancer are complicated and can be simply classified into small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Lung squamous cell carcinoma accounts for about 17% of non-small cell lung cancer, and most of them are directly related to smoking. Its benefits The incidence group is obviously more male than female, and the age group of the disease is mostly middle-aged people in their 50s and 60s. Once diagnosed with lung squamous cell carcinoma, the impact on individuals, families, or society is not trivial.
In addition to smoking, other risk factors for lung squamous cell carcinoma, such as environmental air pollution, exposure to dust or chemicals in the workplace, may also potentially increase the risk of cancer. As for the effects of other unhealthy lifestyles, including unbalanced diet, lack of sleep, excessive stress, lack of exercise, etc., they can cause damage to the body’s immunity. Of course, they can also easily allow cancer cells to invade, increasing the incidence of cancer. Lung cancer is one of them.
Treatment options for lung squamous cell carcinoma are not as diverse as those for lung adenocarcinoma
Regarding the current treatment status of lung squamous cell carcinoma in Taiwan, Director Chen Zhongyue said frankly that the biggest difference with lung adenocarcinoma is that there are fewer treatment options for lung squamous cell carcinoma. The government has recently promoted next-generation gene sequencing (NGS) to match the corresponding The vast majority of targeted drugs are targeted at lung adenocarcinoma. In the past, the treatment of lung squamous cell carcinoma could only be based on traditional chemotherapy. Fortunately, the national health insurance was opened at the end of last year. If the conditions are met, immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy can be received on the front line, which has brought a lot of benefits to this group of patients. Good news, however, the side effects of traditional chemotherapy often make patients miserable, including easy fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, hair loss, decreased immunity, increased risk of infection, etc. They need to actively discuss treatment with a doctor.
And after receiving immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in the first line, you may face the problem of drug resistance usually around 10 to 12 months. At this time, the medication strategy for continuing the second line of treatment, from the perspective of a physician, is mainly We still hope to help patients achieve the best overall survival; however, on the patient side, in addition to financial considerations, the side effects of the treatment process and quality of life are also important aspects to evaluate. The second-line treatment method of oral targeted drugs can save the time and effort of traveling to and from the hospital for injections, and there are currently oral targeted drugs that can be taken once a day for patients to choose from, which is relatively convenient.
Continuous treatment with second-line oral targeted drugs strives to prolong the best overall survival time of patients
Director Chen Zhongyue emphasized that the total survival time of patients is actually the sum of the survival periods of each first-line medication. Therefore, the choice of medication at each stage plays a key role in extending life. According to real-world data research in the United States, after the first line of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy, the second line of continuous use of oral targets can extend the patient’s median progression-free survival by 7.3 months. The side effects are also milder than chemotherapy, which greatly improves the patient’s quality of life.
Finally, Director Chen Zhongyue also encouraged patients that although the selection of target drugs for lung squamous cell carcinoma is currently not as many as for lung adenocarcinoma, this group of patients can still benefit from the combined treatment of immunotherapy and chemotherapy provided by the National Health Insurance, even if After resistance to first-line treatment develops, there is also a second-line option of oral targeted drugs paid for by health insurance. Compared with traditional chemotherapy, not only can we strive for a better survival period, but it is also a relatively comfortable choice in terms of economy and side effects. Patients must not give up!
