Lung Cancer Treatments by Stage

Lung Cancer Treatments by Stage

Occult Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Tests are done to find the main tumor (cancer). Lung cancer that is found at this early stage can usually be cured by surgery. Tests may include the following:

-Chest x-ray: An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body.
-Bronchoscopy: A procedure to look inside the trachea and large airways in the lung for abnormal areas. A bronchoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the nose or mouth into the trachea and lungs. Tissue samples may be taken for biopsy.
-CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.

Stage 0 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Treatment of stage 0 non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:

-Surgery to remove a small portion of the lung where the cancer cells are found.
-Clinical trials of photodynamic therapy using an endoscope.

This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site. Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment of stage I non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:

-Surgery to remove a small portion of the lung or a lobe of the lung.
-External radiation therapy (for patients who cannot have surgery or choose not to have surgery).
-Chemotherapy following surgery.
-Clinical trials of chemoprevention following other therapy.
-Clinical trials of photodynamic therapy using an endoscope.

Treatment of stage II non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:

-Surgery to remove the tumor (a small portion of the lung, a lobe of the lung, or an entire lung).
-External radiation therapy (for patients who cannot have surgery or choose not to have surgery).
-Chemotherapy with or without other treatments following surgery.
-Clinical trials of external radiation therapy following surgery.

This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site. Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Stages IIIA and IIIB)

Treatment of stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:

Surgery alone.
External radiation therapy alone.
Chemotherapy combined with other treatments.
Surgery and external radiation therapy.
Clinical trials of radiation therapy and combined treatments.

Treatment of stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:

External radiation therapy alone.
Chemotherapy combined with external radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy combined with external radiation therapy, followed by surgery.
Chemotherapy alone.

Clinical trials of radiation therapy and combined treatments.

Treatment of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:

External radiation therapy as palliative therapy, to relieve pain and other symptoms and improve the quality of life.

Chemotherapy.

Laser therapy and/or internal radiation therapy.

Clinical trials of chemotherapy.

Lung Cancer Treatment News

First European Lung Cancer Conference April 23-28 2008, Geneva, Switzerland

10 Feb 2008 at 5:00am

Lung cancer is globally recognized as a big killer and it is undoubtedly a leading cause of cancer deaths in Europe and in the world. Researchers provide evidence of advancements which lead to continuous considerable improvements in possible treatments of lung cancer and offer valuable contributions to change the political and social environment for more pro-active prevention initiatives.

Lung Cancer Treatment Advances, Anniversary Of Peter Jennings Death

28 Aug 2006 at 1:00am

Advances in Lung Cancer Treatments: Non-Surgical Procedure Offers New Treatment Option for Patients with Lung Cancer WHEN: August 7 is the anniversary of Peter Jennings death from lung cancer. WHO: John Rundback, M.D. [click link for full article]

Radiofrequency Ablation In Inoperable Lung Cancer Yields Results

30 Oct 2006 at 7:00am

Patients with lung cancer who were deemed medically inoperable showed mid-to-long-term results when treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), according to new research. Over a 30-month period, 16 patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent 19 RFA treatments and follow-up CT-PET scans. [click link for full article]

Smac-ing lung cancer to death

11 Nov 2007 at 10:00pm

Researchers have developed a small molecule that can turn the survival signal for a variety of cancer cells into a death signal. The molecule mimics the activity of Smac, a protein that triggers the suicide of some types of cancer cells. The findings suggest that Smac-mimetic compounds could be useful as targeted cancer treatments for lung and other cancers.

Lilly studies try to shed light on impact of race

31 May 2007 at 10:00pm

Researchers at Eli Lilly and Company are actively investigating the efficacy and safety of lung cancer treatments ALIMTA (pemetrexed for injection) and GEMZAR (gemcitabine HCl for injection) in treating non-small cell lung cancer in African-Americans, Hispanics and other diverse populations.

New Lung Cancer Therapies Are In Development

14 Aug 2005 at 5:00am

D Neil Watkins, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, assistant professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University, can address new therapies directed against specific cellular pathways in lung cancer that are being developed with the hope of controlling the disease: "These treatments are unlike conventional chemotherapy and do not usually damage normal cells... click link for more info.

Potential New Target For Cancer Treatment

12 May 2007 at 1:00am

A discovery made by a research team at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Göteborg may lead to new treatments for lung cancer and blood cancer, among others. By stopping the production of a particular enzyme in mice, they reduced the development of tumors, and the mice survived considerably longer. [click link for full article]

Hope Offered To Patients With Lung And Joint Disease By Key Study

6 Sep 2006 at 1:00am

People who suffer from inflammatory conditions such as chronic diseases of the lung, joints and other organs could benefit from a new discovery by scientists at the University of Edinburgh. A new study in Nature Medicine journal shows that certain drugs, already being tested as cancer treatments, can dramatically reduce tissue inflammation. [click link for full article]

Studies Lead to Big Changes in Lung Cancer Treatments

22 Jun 2005 at 10:00pm

Research proved that chemotherapy can lengthen life for many patients for whom it was previously thought to be useless.

Interferon Gamma Therapy May Be An Important Advance In Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients

30 Aug 2006 at 1:00am

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the most common and lethal form of lung scarring, has an outcome similar to that of lung cancer, with average survival of less than three years from diagnosis. To date, routinely available therapies have not been shown to improve survival. So, there is an urgent need for new, more effective treatments. [click link for full article]

Dana Farber and 454 life sciences announce breakthrough in DNA sequencing for cancer research

24 Jun 2006 at 10:00pm

454 Sequencing was used to analyze mutations in five exons of the EGFR gene in 22 patients with lung cancer. The EGFR gene is the target of several new cancer drugs, and the paper proposes that 454 Sequencing may help to resolve the controversy about the power of EGFR mutations to predict the response of patients to such treatments.

Protein protects lung cancer cells from efforts to fix or kill them

27 Feb 2008 at 10:00pm

University of Florida findings explain how the protein enables cancer cells to circumvent the body's own efforts to change them back into healthy cells -- or evade treatments designed to kill them.

NICE consults on advice on two treatments for NSCLC

14 Nov 2006 at 12:04am

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued appraisal consultation documents on Tarceva (erlotinib) and Alimat (pemetrexed) for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer, recommending neither drug.

Glypican-3 gene function in regulating body size helps inform novel cancer treatments

11 May 2008 at 10:00pm

In a leading study that has implications for the development of novel therapies for a number of breast, lung and ovarian cancers that have lost the expression of a gene called glypican-3, Sunnybrook researchers have discovered how the loss of the GPC3 gene induces overgrowth through certain growth factors such as Sonic Hedgehog which stimulate cancer growth.

Genetic Link Tied to Smoking Addiction

3 Apr 2008 at 2:25am

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists have pinpointed genetic variations that make people more likely to get hooked on cigarettes and more prone to develop lung cancer - a finding that could someday lead to screening tests and customized treatments for smokers trying to kick the habit....