Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment

Non-small cell lung cancer treatment is generally separated into three treatment groups based on the lung cancer stage. These non-small cell lung cancer treatment groups include cancer that can be treated with surgery, cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes, and cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or to another lobe of the lungs. Standard treatment options for lung cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, laser therapy, and photodynamic therapy.

 

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment: An Overview

When a lung cancer diagnosis is made, patients can be divided into three non-small cell lung cancer treatment groups based on the lung cancer stage.
 
These three non-small cell lung cancer treatment groups include:
 
  • Non-small cell lung cancer that can be treated with surgery
  • Non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or to lymph nodes
  • Non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or to another lobe of the lungs.
     
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Surgery
Non-small cell lung cancer that can be treated with surgery falls under this treatment option:
 
  • Stage 0, stage I, and stage II non-small cell lung cancer can often be removed by surgery
  • Radiation therapy may be used to treat patients who have other medical problems and cannot have surgery.
     
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Spread to Lymph Nodes
Non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or to lymph nodes can be treated with one of the following:
 
  • Radiation therapy alone
  • Radiation therapy and chemotherapy or other kinds of treatment
  • Surgery alone.
     
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Spread to Other Parts of Body
For patients whose non-small cell lung cancer has spread to other parts of the body or to another lobe of the lungs, treatment may include the following:
 
  • Lung cancer radiation therapy may be used as palliative therapy to shrink the cancer and to relieve pain in patients who have non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body
  • Chemotherapy may be used to treat some patients.
     
(Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD