Choosing the treatment that is right for you may be hard. Talk to your cancer doctor about the treatment options available for your type and stage of cancer. Your doctor can explain the risks and benefits of each treatment and their side effects. Side effects are how your body reacts to drugs or other treatments.
Sometimes people get an opinion from more than one cancer doctor. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Lung Cancer. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. People with non-small cell lung cancer can be treated with surgery.
Stay Informed twitter govd. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Even if positive margins are not found, adjuvant chemo is usually recommended after surgery to try to destroy any cancer cells that might have been left behind.
As with stage I cancers, newer lab tests now being studied may help doctors find out which patients need this adjuvant treatment and which are less likely to benefit from it. For people whose cancer cells have certain mutations in the EGFR gene, adjuvant treatment with the targeted drug osimertinib might be an option at some point as well. If you have serious medical problems that would keep you from having surgery, you may get only radiation therapy as your main treatment.
Your treatment options depend on the size of the tumor, where it is in your lung, which lymph nodes it has spread to, your overall health, and how well you are tolerating treatment. For patients who can tolerate it, treatment usually starts with chemo, often combined with radiation therapy also called chemoradiation.
Surgery may be an option after this if the doctor thinks any remaining cancer can be removed and the patient is healthy enough. In some cases, surgery may be an option as the first treatment. This is often followed by adjuvant chemo, which in turn might be followed by adjuvant immunotherapy with atezolizumab for up to a year in some cases. For people who are not healthy enough for surgery, radiation therapy, which may be combined with chemo, is often used.
If surgery, radiation, and chemoradiation are not likely to be good treatment options, an immunotherapy drug such as pembrolizumab Keytruda or cemiplimab Libtayo may be considered as the first treatment. If you are in fairly good health you may be helped by chemotherapy chemo combined with radiation therapy known as chemoradiation. Some people can even be cured with this treatment. If the cancer stays under control after 2 or more treatments of chemoradiation, the immunotherapy drug durvalumab Imfinzi can be given for up to a year to help keep the cancer stable.
Patients who are not healthy enough for this combination are often treated with radiation therapy alone, or, less often, chemo alone. If surgery, radiation, and chemoradiation aren't likely to be good treatment options, an immunotherapy drug such as pembrolizumab Keytruda or cemiplimab Libtayo may be considered as the first treatment. These cancers can be hard to treat, so taking part in a clinical trial of newer treatments may be a good option for some people.
These cancers can be very hard to cure. Treatment options depend on where and how far the cancer has spread, whether the cancer cells have certain gene or protein changes, and your overall health. Other treatments, such as photodynamic therapy PDT or laser therapy, may also be used to help relieve symptoms. In any case, if you are going to be treated for advanced NSCLC, be sure you understand the goals of treatment before you start.
For example, a single tumor in the brain may be treated with surgery or stereotactic radiation, or surgery followed by radiation to the whole brain. Treatment for the lung tumor is then based on its T and N stages, and may include surgery, chemo, radiation, or some of these in combination.
If one of these genes is mutated in your cancer cells, your first treatment will likely be a targeted therapy drug:. Your tumor cells might also be tested for the PD-L1 protein. Tumors with higher levels of PD-L1 are more likely to respond to certain immunotherapy drugs, so treatment options might include:.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy may be an option for people with small lung cancers who can't undergo surgery. It may also be used to treat lung cancer that spreads to other parts of the body, including the brain.
Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Many targeted therapy drugs are used to treat lung cancer, though most are reserved for people with advanced or recurrent cancer. Some targeted therapies only work in people whose cancer cells have certain genetic mutations. Your cancer cells may be tested in a laboratory to see if these drugs might help you.
Immunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer. Your body's disease-fighting immune system may not attack your cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that help them hide from the immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process. Immunotherapy treatments are generally reserved for people with locally advanced lung cancers and cancers that have spread to other parts of the body. People with lung cancer often experience signs and symptoms of the cancer, as well as side effects of treatment.
Supportive care, also known as palliative care, is a specialty area of medicine that involves working with a doctor to minimize your signs and symptoms. Your doctor may recommend that you meet with a palliative care team soon after your diagnosis to ensure that you're comfortable during and after your cancer treatment. In one study, people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who began receiving supportive care soon after their diagnosis lived longer than those who continued with treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation.
Those receiving supportive care reported improved mood and quality of life. They survived, on average, almost three months longer than did those receiving standard care. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Subscribe for free and receive an in-depth guide to coping with cancer, plus helpful advice on how to get a second opinion. You can unsubscribe at any time. Error Select a topic.
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Many people with lung cancer experience shortness of breath at some point in the course of the disease. Treatments such as supplemental oxygen and medications are available to help you feel more comfortable, but they aren't always enough. Tell your doctor if you experience shortness of breath or if your symptoms worsen, as there are many other treatments available to relieve shortness of breath. Complementary and alternative lung cancer treatments can't cure your cancer. But complementary and alternative treatments can often be combined with your doctor's care to help relieve signs and symptoms.
A diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelming. With time you'll find ways to cope with the distress and uncertainty of cancer. Until then, you may find it helps to:. Find someone to talk with. Find a good listener who is willing to listen to you talk about your hopes and fears.
This may be a friend or family member. The concern and understanding of a counselor, medical social worker, clergy member or cancer support group also may be helpful. Ask your doctor about support groups in your area. Or check with local and national cancer organizations, such as the National Cancer Institute or the American Cancer Society.
If you have signs and symptoms that worry you, start by seeing your family doctor. If your doctor suspects you have lung cancer, you'll likely be referred to a specialist.
Specialists who treat people with lung cancer can include:. Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot to discuss, it's a good idea to be well prepared. To help you get ready, try to:. Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your time together.
List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For lung cancer, some basic questions to ask include:. In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask other questions during your appointment.
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may allow more time later to cover other points you want to address. Your doctor may ask:. Lung cancer care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.
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