Treatment

At the Riverside Cancer Institute, your specific treatment for lung cancer will be personalized by your doctor based on several aspects, including:

• Your age, overall health, and medical history
• The type of lung cancer
• Extent of the disease
• Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• Expectations for the course of the disease
• Your opinion or preference

Depending on its type and stage, lung cancer may be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, local treatments or a combination of treatments. Treatment for lung cancer includes one or more of the following:

Surgery

Surgery is part of the treatment for early-stage lung cancers. The type of surgery depends on the size and location of the tumor in the lung, the extent of >the cancer, the general health of the patient, and other factors.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and to shrink tumors. Radiation may also be used with chemotherapy to treat lung cancer.

Chemotherapy

The use of anticancer drugs to treat cancerous cells. In most cases, chemotherapy interferes with the cancer cell's ability to grow or reproduce. Different groups of drugs work in different ways to fight cancer cells. Our oncologists will recommend a treatment plan for each individual.