Types of Cancer > Lung Cancer > Treatment

Lung Cancer Treatment

Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these methods can be used to treat lung cancer, depending on the type (non-small cell or small cell) and stage of the disease. Patients who qualify also have access to a variety of clinical trials.

Surgery
Surgery is used to treat non-small cell lung cancers that have not spread beyond the lung. The three most common surgical procedures are:

• wedge resection or segmentectomy to remove of a small section of the lung
• lobectomy to remove an entire section of the lung
• pneumonectomy to remove an entire lung

Chemotherapy
Patients may receive anti-cancer drugs known as chemotherapy, even if they had surgery, to kill cancer cells that may be present in nearby tissue or that have spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy, often combined with radiation therapy, is commonly used to treat small cell lung cancer.

While undergoing chemotherapy patients often experience fatigue. However, if patients experience other symptoms, they should call a physician or nurse right away. See When to Call - A Guide to Understanding Symptoms from Chemotherapy to learn more.

Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapists can administer high doses of radiation to lung tumors while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue using intensity modulated radiation therapy. Radiation therapy can also be used to relieve pain, bleeding and swallowing problems.