Respiratory Symptoms in Advanced Lung Cancer: A Persistent Challenge
- Ahmed Elsayem, MD
- Available online 23 November 2011.
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.suponc.2011.10.004
Drs. McCannon and Temel have written an interesting review on the management of respiratory symptoms in advanced lung cancer patients. Their article is structured in a systematic, easy-to-follow format and will be a useful tool for physicians caring for patients with advanced lung cancer.
The authors reviewed up-to-date literature on frequent complications of advanced lung cancer such as pulmonary embolism, pleural effusion, pericardial tamponade, postobstructive pneumonia, and treatment-related pneumonitis (resulting from radiation therapy and certain types of chemotherapy). They also provide useful recommendations and suggest practical interventions which are supported by evidence from the literature. Clinicians caring for such patients must have a comprehensive knowledge of such complications to make a diagnosis and provide specific treatment.
Drs. McCannon and Temel address common symptoms associated with advanced lung cancer. In addition to their comprehensive review of the management of dyspnea, they address other symptoms such as cough and hemoptysis and provide specific recommendations on the management of each symptom with supportive evidence from the literature for each intervention.