| The most commonly used treatments for lung | | | | chemotherapy and radiotherapy replace surgery |
| cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and | | | | as the main treatment options. A number of |
| radiation. The exact treatment a lung cancer | | | | drugs are available, and many more are being |
| patient receives will depend on several | | | | tested in clinical trials. Radiotherapy is |
| factors. These include the type of cancer, | | | | palliative, and while it may ease symptoms |
| the stage or extent to which it has spread at | | | | such as pain and cough, it will not stop |
| the time of diagnosis, and the overall health | | | | cancer growth. If the cancer obstructs a |
| of the patient.Non-small cell lung cancer, | | | | major airway, using a laser, freezing the |
| which accounts for about 80 percent of lung | | | | tumor or keeping the airway open with a stent |
| cancer cases, is treated depending on its | | | | or tube may remove the obstruction.Small cell |
| stage at diagnosis. Lung surgery is the | | | | lung cancer, which is found in about 20 |
| mainstay of treatment for the early stages of | | | | percent of lung cancer patients, is more |
| lung cancer. Cancerous tissue, along with a | | | | aggressive and more likely to have spread by |
| margin of healthy tissue, is removed. | | | | the time of diagnosis. It is therefore |
| Patients who are unable to have surgery may | | | | treated primarily with chemotherapy. |
| be treated with radiotherapy. While cure | | | | Radiotherapy to the chest may also be used to |
| rates for early lung cancer are good, it is | | | | kill off remaining cancer cells. This type |
| rarely detected in its early stages. As | | | | of cancer often spreads to the brain. This |
| non-small cell cancer spreads within the | | | | is why radiotherapy to the brain may be used |
| chest, it is treated with some combination of | | | | as a prophylactic even if no cancer is |
| surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Once | | | | detected in the brain. |
| cancer has spread to other parts of the body, | | | | |