Lung cancer is one of the most deadly diseases. Every year, 1.5 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed, and roughly 1.3 million die as a result of lung cancer worldwide, according to the book "Clinical Oncology." There are two major types of lung cancer: non-small-cell and small-cell lung carcinomas. Lung cancer treatment depends on the stage of lung cancer at diagnosis and the type of lung cancer cells.
Surgery
According to UpToDate for Patients, surgery is often used to treat early-stage, non-small-cell lung cancers. Surgery is generally not considered as the first treatment for people with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer because surgery does not improve survival for these patients.
Surgery is only used to treat fewer than 10 percent of patients diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer. This is because small-cell lung cancer spreads quickly to other organs, and surgical removal of the primary tumor does not improve survival of patients, according to UpToDate for Patients.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer agents to kill cancer cells or to stop cancer cells from growing and dividing. Chemotherapy is widely used to treat lung cancer. Some of the most common chemotherapy drugs for lung cancer include gemcitabine, Cisplatin, Taxol and Carboplatin, according to Cancer Research UK. Chemotherapy drugs can be administered orally or by infusion into the vein.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is often used together with chemotherapy. The five-year survival rate is between 13 and 39 percent for lung cancer patients treated with radiation, according to UpToDate for Patients.
Adjuvant Chemotherapy
Adjuvant chemotherapy is a drug given to lung cancer patients following surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapies, such as those based on Cisplatin, have been shown to improve the five-year survival rate of lung cancer patients by 5 to 10 percent, according to the book "DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 8th Edition."
References
- UpToDate for Patients: Lung Cancer Treatment
- "Clinical Oncology;" Martin D. Abeloff, M.D., et al.; 2007
- "DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 8th Edition;" Vincent Devita, Theodore Lawrence, Steven Rosenberg; 2008
