Download TREATMENT Lung cancer treatment depends on what kind of lung

TREATMENT
Lung cancer treatment depends on what kind of lung cancer you have, its stage, and
which biomarkers, if any, are present in your cancer. Your health care team will also
consider your overall health and wishes when planning your treatment.
Some of the most common treatments for lung cancer include:
Surgery. Each lung is divided into sections, or lobes. The right lung has three lobes: the
upper, middle, and lower lobes. The left lung has just two lobes, the upper and lower. If
the cancer is in only one lobe of one lung, surgery can remove the cancer and offers the
highest rate of cure. Depending on the location and size of the lung cancer, surgeons
may remove just part of a lobe (this kind of surgery is called a segmentectomy, or
“wedge” resection), an entire lobe (lobectomy), or an entire lung (pneumonectomy). A
person can survive with just one lung.
Sometimes surgical removal of a cancer can be done with thoracoscopy, where
instruments are inserted into the chest and guided by a small camera. When the size
and location of the tumor make this possible, thoracoscopy has the advantages of
smaller incisions than with standard surgery, and shorter recovery times. Ask your
medical team if you are eligible for thoracoscopy.
Surgery may also be used to treat advanced lung cancer, either as part of a combined
approach with other forms of therapy, or to relieve symptoms like shortness of breath
from fluid accumulation around the lung.
Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses medication to kill cancer cells. Most
chemotherapy drugs are given directly into the veins through an IV line, although some
come in pill form. If chemotherapy is going to be delivered through the veins, clinicians
will often surgically implant a special “port” into the upper part of a patient’s chest before
chemotherapy treatment begins. The port leads into a major vein; health care providers
can easily and reliably access the port to deliver IV chemotherapy. Ports and other
types of long-term IV access are commonly used for chemotherapy because treatment
often extends over many weeks. A port or long-term IV access allows patients to avoid
an IV “stick” every time they go for chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for small cell lung cancer, but is also used
commonly to treat non-small cell lung cancers in Stages 2, 3 and 4.
Chemotherapy can be used alone or in conjunction with other cancer treatments.
Sometimes, chemotherapy is used before surgery to shrink tumors and make them
easier to remove surgically. Sometimes, chemotherapy is used after surgery to treat any
remaining cancer.
Targeted therapy is a relatively new form of chemotherapy for patients with cancers
that have specific features that make them vulnerable to specific drugs. Biomarker
testing is very helpful to see whether these drugs will be effective.
Radiation Therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other forms of
radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation can be administered in several different ways, but
most involve a source outside of the patient. During treatment, the patient is positioned
on a special treatment table while a machine delivers invisible radioactive beams
through the skin to the cancer.
Because radiation can harm healthy tissue, the radiation oncology team will carefully
measure and mark the spot that should receive radiation. Each time you have
treatment, the beams will be aimed at this precise spot. Each treatment only takes a few
minutes. Radiation therapy for lung cancer is usually given several days each week for
several weeks. The schedule is always customized to the patient and the type, size, and
location of the cancer. Your health care team will customize the plan for radiation
depending on the type, size, and location of the cancer with the goal of eliminating as
much cancer as possible with minimal side effects. Precise planning is important
because radiation can damage normal tissue along with killing cancer cells.
Other Treatments
Other treatment options may be used in certain situations. Radiofrequency
ablation uses heat to kill cancer cells, delivering heat through a thin, needle-like probe
through the skin near the cancer. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a special light
delivered through a bronchoscope to cancer cells inside the breathing
tubes; laser beams may be delivered through a bronchoscopy to kill cancer cells to
open blocked airways, and cryosurgery uses extreme cold to kill cancer cells. Your
health care team will be able to discuss these options and whether they would be right
to treat your type of cancer.
Lung cancer treatments have side effects. Cancer treatment may include fatigue,
nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, hair loss, sores in the mouth and/or at
the site of radiation treatment, decreased immunity, memory problems, pain and
discomfort, diarrhea or constipation, and skin rashes. The side effects you experience
will depend on what treatments you receive and how your body responds to the
treatments.
Also, remember that side effects may be eased using medication before you even begin
treatment. (It’s common, for instance, to give anti-nausea medication before
chemotherapy.) Ask your health care providers about the possible side effects of your
lung cancer treatment, and ask what you can do to help manage any side effects. Be
sure to report any side effects to your health care provider. Your health care provider
can’t help you feel better if he or she doesn’t know what’s going on with you.