Lung Cancer Treatments

Lung cancer treatments vary based on the specific type of lung cancer, the location of the tumor, how advanced and widespread the cancer is and other patient specific factors. As with most types of cancer, most treatment regimens will consist of some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. Some newer therapies specific to lung cancer are also used in some situations. The specific treatment recommended will vary from patient to patient and should be discussed with the patient's own treating physicians.

Lung Cancer Treatments:

Surgery: Many patients with lung cancer will be offered surgery as part of the work-up and/or treatment for lung cancer. However, there are many types of surgery that could be recommended, from minimally-invasive techniques to assess the cancer or take small biopsies to full pneumonectomy (removal of a whole lung). You can read more about these on the Lung Cancer Surgery page.

Chemotherapy: Some patients will be offered chemotherapy alone or in combination with other lung cancer treatments. The specific types of chemotherapeutic drugs used depend on the type of lung cancer as well as other factors specific to each patient's disease.

Radiation Therapy: Radiation treatment is often a part of the treatment regimen of patients with lung cancer, before, after or during chemotherapy treatment and/or surgery. A newer form of treatment related to radiation treatment is sometimes offered to patients with lung cancer. Radiofrequency ablation uses radiofrequency energy to destroy the lung cancer cells. Unlike other types of radiation therapy which are given by external beam sources of radiation energy, the energy is delivered directly into the tumor by a needle which is inserted into the mass.

Photodynamic Therapy: If lung cancer occurs in the larger air ways, the bronchii, it can sometimes be treated by this other form of treatment for lung cancer. The treatment uses a photoactivated drug (a drug that is activated to its effective form by light) which is activated by laser light energy in the tumor. The laser is delivered through a bronchoscope, a small, flexible scope which is passed into the airways. This mode of treatment can be effective for smaller, early tumors in the airways. However, it can also help to palliate symptoms of larger tumors that are due to blockage of the airway.

Other New and Experimental Treatments: There are a number of new so-called targeted therapies that are sometimes used in addition to standard chemotherapy in treating lung cancer. For example, one drug called erlotinib (Tarceva) is an epidermal growth factor receptor blocker which is sometimes used in patients with non-small cell carcinomas of the lung. Another drug, bevacizumad (Avastin) has antiangiogenic properties, meaning it blocks the formation of blood vessels within the tumor. This prevents the cells from growing and can kills some cancer cells. It is used in some cases of lung cancer.