Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer. The type of treatment the patient receive for lung cancer depends on several factors, including:
- The type of lung cancer the patient is suffering from (non-small-cell or small-cell mutations in cancer)
- The size and position of the cancer
- How advanced the cancer is (the stage)
- Patient’s overall health
The most common treatment options include:
- Surgery: There are three main types of lung cancer surgery:
- Lobectomy – where 1 of the large parts of the lung (lobes) is removed
- Pneumonectomy – where the entire lung is removed
- Wedge resection or segmentectomy – where a small piece of the lung is removed
- Radiotherapy: It uses pulses of radiation to destroy cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy: It uses powerful cancer-killing medicine to treat cancer.
- Immunotherapy: It is a group of medicines that stimulate a patient’s immune system to target and kill cancer cells. It can be used on its own or combined with chemotherapy.
Depending on the type of cancer and the stage, the patient may receive a combination of these treatments.
If the condition is diagnosed early and the cancerous cells are confined to a small area, surgery to remove the affected area of the lung may be recommended.
If surgery is unsuitable due to the patient’s general health, radiotherapy to destroy the cancerous cells may be recommended instead.
If cancer has spread too far for surgery or radiotherapy to be effective, chemotherapy is usually used.
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