According to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, there are two main types of lung cancer. The most common type, which accounts for about 80 percent of lung cancer cases, is the nonsmall cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. The less common type but by far the worst in outlook is the small cell lung cancer.
Chemotherapy is a treatment option in both types of lung cancer. It involves the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells or stop them from growing. There are diverse types of chemotherapy used in lung cancer treatment.
Standard Chemotherapy
According to the American Cancer Society, chemotherapy can be used as the only treatment in lung cancer in advanced stages of the disease or in those who cannot stand surgery and radiation therapy. Typically, a combination of two drugs is used.
In nonsmall cell lung cancer, the usual combinations include carboplatin or cisplatin and one other drug. Another possible combination with fewer side effects is made up of gemcitabine with paclitaxel or vinorelbine.
According to the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, the ability of the small cell lung cancers to spread very early makes localized treatments such as surgery or radiation treatment much less important. Thus, chemotherapy is the treatment of choice in this type of cancer. It is sometimes combined with radiation therapy. Etoposide with carboplatin or cisplatin is the favored combination used here.
Adjuvant Chemotherapy
Following surgery in operable cases usually of nonsmall cell lung cancers, chemotherapy is used to improve the outlook in some patients. This is known as adjuvant chemotherapy.
Neo-adjuvant Chemotherapy
In some cases, the mass of the cancer or its closeness to some vital organ may increase the dangers of surgery. In those cases, usually the nonsmall cell lung cancers, chemotherapy could be used to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove during surgery. This is called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
Palliative Chemotherapy
In advanced cases of lung cancer and the very sick, chemotherapy is sometimes given to alleviate the patient's pain and discomfort . There is usually no hope of a cure, just to improve quality of life. Here, it is called palliative chemotherapy.
