Lung Cancer Information

Lung Cancer Treatment depends on a number of factors, including the type of lung cancer (small cell or small), the size, location and extent of the tumor, and the patient’s overall health. You can use many different treatments and combinations of treatments to control lung cancer or to improve the quality of life by reducing symptoms.

Surgery is an operation to remove the cancer. The type of surgery the doctor performs depends on the location of the tumor in the lung. An operation to remove only a small part of the lung is called a segmental or wedge resection. When the surgeon removes an entire lobe of the lung, the procedure is called a lobectomy. Pneumonectomy is the removal of an entire lung. Some tumors are inoperable (can not be removed by surgery) because of the size or site, and some patients can not have surgery for other medical reasons.

Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Even after it has been removed lung cancer, cancer cells may still be present in nearby tissue or elsewhere in the body. Chemotherapy may be used to control cancer growth or to relieve symptoms. Most anticancer drugs are given by injection into a vein (intravenously) or through a catheter, a thin tube is placed into a large vein and remains there for as long as necessary. Some anticancer drugs are given as pills or tablets.

Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy targets a limited area and affects the cancer cells only in that area. Radiation therapy can be used before surgery to shrink a tumor or after surgery to kill any cancer cells left in the treated area. Doctors also use radiation therapy, often combined with chemotherapy as primary treatment instead of surgery. Radiation therapy can also be used to relieve symptoms such as shortness of breath. Radiation for the treatment of lung cancer most often comes from a machine (external radiation). Radiation can also come from an implant (a small container of radioactive material) placed directly into or near the tumor (internal radiation).

Photodynamic therapy, a type of laser therapy, involves the use of a special chemical is injected into the bloodstream and is absorbed by cells all over the body. The chemical rapidly leaves normal cells but remains longer in cancer cells. A laser light directed to the cancer reacted chemical compound, which then kills the cancer cells that have absorbed. Photodynamic therapy can be used to reduce symptoms of lung cancer, for example, to control bleeding or to relieve breathing problems due to breathing pathways are blocked when the cancer can not be removed by surgery. Photodynamic therapy can also be used to treat very small tumors in patients for whom regular treatments for lung cancer are not adequate.

Clinical trials (research studies) to evaluate new ways to treat cancer are an option for many patients with lung cancer. In some studies, all patients receive the new treatment. In others, doctors compare different therapies by giving the new treatment to a patient group therapy and regular (standard) to another group. Through research, doctors are exploring new ways and possibly more effective to treat lung cancer.