Treatment and Prevention
Lung cancer can be managed with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy,
either alone or in combination, depending on how advanced the tumor is. Which
treatment or combination of treatment that is best will depend on the type of
lung cancer, how advanced the cancer is (i.e., the stage of the cancer), overall
health, side effects, and the potential for curing the cancer, relieving symptoms,
or prolonging life.
Surgery can only be done if the cancerous tumor is small and localized
to one lung, and if the remaining lung is strong enough to work on its own.
The surgery is called a pneumonectomy if the whole lung is removed, or
a lobectomy if only part of the lung is removed. The doctor decides how
much of the lung to remove during the surgery. Although 10% to 35% of lung cancers
can be surgically removed, surgery doesn't always cure the cancer. Surgery is
only recommended for people in good enough health with no sign of metastatic
spread of the tumor. If a person has a serious heart or other lung condition,
surgery may not be an option.
Radiation is used for lung cancer that has spread or is too close to the
windpipe. For people with serious disease, radiation is used to keep the
cancer from growing, rather than to destroy it entirely. Radiation can control
bone pain, superior vena cava syndrome and compression of the nerves to the
backbone (spinal cord) caused by cancerous cell growth.
Chemotherapy, which is treatment with anticancer drugs, only works on small
cell lung cancers. By the time it's found, this type of cancer has usually
spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy or radiation is used either
to stop the cancer from spreading or to kill cancerous cells.
The highest chance for a cure is in those people where the lung cancer was
found and surgically removed or treated in its early stages. Between 15%
and 30% of those people who have had surgery for lung cancer survive for another
five years. However, if the cancer has spread outside of the chest, it's not
usually curable.
It's important for people who have had lung cancer to have regular check-ups.
Between 6% and 12% of people who have had lung cancer surgically removed
will get it again. The figure is even higher for those who keep smoking after
the surgery. Prevention of lung cancer is possible; deciding to quit smoking
is the first big step. There are many helpful techniques and treatments for
smoking cessation; see our article on this topic.