If the cancer is found to be treatable and your health supports treatment, doctors usually use some combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery:
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is used to shrink tumors, keep tumors from spreading, or simply to help relieve pain from some of the tumors when someone is receiving comfort measures only. Chemotherapy drugs damage healthy cells as well as cancerous cells and can have severe side effects that may seem worse than the cancer symptoms themselves. These types of reactions depend on the type of agents used; some chemotherapy agents cause fewer symptoms than others. A cancer doctor can determine the best option for your specific cancer situation. Radiation
Radiation uses x-rays to kill cancer cells. This procedure can be accomplished by shooting the radiation through the outside of the body or directly inserting radiation into the cancer or area of the cancer by needles or catheters. The delivery method depends on the type of cancer, stage, and location of the cancer, with the goal of destroying cancer cells with minimal harm to the surrounding healthy tissue. Radiation can damage normal tissues, so make sure to discuss radiation treatment with a doctor specializing in radiation therapy. Surgery
Lung cancer treatment may involve removing a portion, a lobe, or a whole lung. Lymph nodes surrounding the cancerous area may be removed during surgery to determine whether treatment options are needed.
Regardless of the treatment, lung cancer can have a poor prognosis if not found early. The following statistics apply to lung cancer:
- Only one in eight lung cancer patients survives five years after their diagnosis
- The five-year survival rate is almost 50 percent for patients with localized tumors; unfortunately, less than 25 percent of cases are diagnosed that early
- After the cancer metastasizes, the five-year survival rate is less than 2 percent
- Approximately six out of ten lung cancer patients die within one year of their diagnosis; between seven and eight out of ten people die from their disease in two years
