How is lung cancer treated?

The two main types of lung cancer, small cell and non-small cell, are treated very differently.

Depending on the stage of the disease and other factors, the main treatment options for people with non-small cell lung cancer include:

SurgeryRadiation therapy
Other local treatments like laser therapy or photodynamic therapy
Chemotherapy
Targeted therapy

In many cases, more than one of these treatments may be used.

If you have small cell lung cancer, the main treatment will most likely be chemotherapy (often called just "chemo"), either alone or with radiation. Very rarely, surgery might be done if the tumor is small and has not spread to lymph nodes or other organs.

There are three different treatments commonly used for lung cancer: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Surgery and radiotherapy are "local" therapies, which are therapies directed at disease that is visible to the doctors on an x-ray or CT scan. Chemotherapy is a "systemic" therapy because the patient takes medicines orally or receives them intravenously (through an IV), and they circulate throughout one's system. In theory, they can attack cancer cells anywhere in the body. The art of treating lung cancer patients involves assessing the stage of cancer (whether and where it has spread) and designing a treatment regimen which may involve one, two or all three of these major types of therapy. The treatments are sometimes given at the same time and sometimes in sequence, depending on which has been shown to provide the best chance for cure.

In situations where cure is unlikely, these types of treatment are used alone or in combination to relieve symptoms and to extend survival as much as possible. Because the care of lung cancer patients involves such different treatment modalities, it is often appropriate for these patients to undergo evaluation by experts in each area including surgery (thoracic surgeons), chemotherapy (medical oncologists) and radiotherapy (radiation oncologists).

There are several different types of lung cancer. Treatment is based on the stage at which it is found. Non-small cell cancer is more common and is often treated with surgery in earlier stages. Small-cell lung cancer is a more aggressive cancer, and is typically treated with a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy.