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Lung Cancer Clinical Resource Area - Treatment
The best way to treat lung lancer is to prevent it from happening in the first place. A diagnosis of lung cancer is not a death sentence. Effective treatment options are available.
Diagnosis and Management of Lung Cancer: ACCP Evidence-Based Guidelines
Treatment By Stage
Stage 0
- Surgery alone. No chemotherapy or radiation therapy is needed.
- Surgical resection. If margins are involved, RT recommended. If surgery is not feasible, radiation alone is an option.
- Stage 3 with abnormal and enlarged lymph nodes: No surgery. Recommend concurrent radiation and chemotherapy. Side effects more severe than sequential treatment.
- Stage 3 with normal mediastinal nodes: May proceed to surgery for tumor resection. In many patients, histopathologic examination will reveal that the lymph nodes are actually cancerous. May also have pre-op chemotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy and, if a response is seen, the patient may then go to surgery. Good candidates for clinical trials.
- "Classic" Stage 3B: No surgery. A combination treatment plan with chemo-radiotherapy should be considered for those who have non-cancerous effusions. Good candidates for clinical trials.
Stage 4 and/or Recurrent Disease
- Chemotherapy alone versus palliative care. No treatment benefit for long term-survival. In addition, chemotherapy may help to relieve symptoms in patients who experience significant symptoms from their disease.
- Chemotherapy options for stage 4 patients include: Paclitaxel (Taxol®) and carboplatin (Paraplatin®), as well as newer agents such as vinorelbine tartrate (Navelbine®), gemcitabine hydrochloride (Gemzar®), docetaxel (Taxotere®), and combinations of the above with cisplatin (Platinol®).