For many people, lung cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage. The main goal of treatment will be to manage your symptoms and keep them under control for as long as possible. Treatment can help you feel better and improve quality of life. This is called palliative treatment.
Here we describe treatments and strategies for managing the most common symptoms of lung cancer. As you may be experiencing a number of symptoms, you may have a combination of treatments. Keep in mind, however, that you won’t necessarily experience every symptom listed here.
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| Lung Foundation Australia can provide more information about living with lung cancer. You can also contact their Lung Cancer Support Nurse by calling 1800 654 301. |
Dr Henry Marshall, Thoracic Physician, The University of Queensland Thoracic Research Centre, The Prince Charles Hospital, QLD; Dr Naveed Alam, Thoracic Surgeon, St Vincent’s Melbourne and Epworth Richmond Hospitals, VIC; A/Prof Martin Borg, Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare, SA; Dr Lisa Briggs, Consumer; Kirsten Mooney, Thoracic Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA Cancer & Palliative Care Network, WA; Claire Mulvihill, Lung Cancer Support Nurse, Lung Foundation Australia; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; A/Prof Nick Pavlakis, President, Australasian Lung Cancer Trials Group, President Elect, Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, and Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology, Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW. We also thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title.
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