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Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment

Even though diagnostic approaches to non-small and small cell lung cancer are very similar, treating these two forms of lung cancer can be quite different. Although treating the two types involves different approaches, those approaches remain the same despite the cause of the cancer. Thus, whether the cancer was caused by asbestos exposure, or the combination of asbestos and smoking cigarettes, treatment options do not change.

Currently, small cell lung cancer is traditionally treated three different ways, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Non-small cell lung cancer can be treated with these three options, as well as three other treatment methods.

Six Types of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment

• Surgery - A total of four different types of surgery are used in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: wedge resection, lobectomy, pneumoectomy, and sleeve resection.
• Chemotherapy -This form of cancer therapy uses special medication that inhibits the growth of cancerous cells, either by killing or prohibiting the cellular dividing process. Chemotherapy medication can be taken orally, injected intravenously, or injected into a muscle. From that point, the medication enters the bloodstream and is carried to cancerous cells throughout the body. These medications can also be injected near the cancer itself to directly attack nearby cells, which is known as regional chemotherapy.
• Radiation Therapy - Using high-energy x-rays (or other types of radiation), radiation therapy aims to kill cancer cells or keep the uncontrollable cells from growing. There are two categories of radiation, including external and internal. External radiation uses a machine outside the body that directs radiation toward the location of the cancer. Internal radiation uses radioactive substances that are sealed in wires, seeds, needles, or catheters, which are implanted into or close to the cancer.
• Laser Therapy - This cancer treatment involves the use of a laser beam, which is a narrow bean of extremely intense light, to kill cancerous cells.
• Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) - A type of treatment that aims to preserve the health of non-cancerous cells, photodynamic therapy involves the injection of a non-active medication into the bloodstream. The medication collects in cancerous cells more so than in non-cancerous cells. Then, fiberoptic tubes are used to transport a laser beam to the cancer cells, which activates the injected medication. The activated medication then proceeds to kill cancer cells while causing little damage to healthy cells.
• Watchful Waiting - Usually done in specific rare cases of non-small cell lung cancer, watchful waiting involves a close monitoring of a patient's condition with no treatment efforts until symptoms begin to appear or change in some manner.

A variety of new treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer are being studied in clinical trials throughout the country. Some of these include chemoprevention, biologic therapy (also known as biotherapy or immunotherapy), and new combinations of treatments. Many patients opt to partake in a clinical trial, as it may be the best option for successful treatment (depending on their diagnosis).

Non-small cell lung cancer treatment approaches are dictated by the type, location, and stage of diagnosis. Regardless of what induced the cancer, whether caused by cigarette smoking, genetics, radon exposure, or asbestos exposure, treatment options and methods remain the same for non-small cell lung cancer.

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