What is the first line of treatment for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer?

What is the first line of treatment for non-small cell lung cancer?

Your healthcare provider will provide treatment recommendations depending on the stage of your cancer. If the cancer is in the early stages, surgery may be the first line of treatment. Sometimes, surgery isn’t an option, especially if the cancer has spread to other organs and you will be provided with other non-small cell lung cancer treatments. These may include radiofrequency ablation, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy.

But what are these treatments?

Surgery: Your surgeon might remove the tumor and a small amount of healthy tissue around it. Or, they may remove an entire lobe or section of your lung. This is called a lobectomy. In some cases, all or part of your lung might need to be removed, which is called a lung resection.

Radiofrequency ablation: Sometimes, people can’t tolerate surgery. In these cases, your healthcare provider might recommend radiofrequency ablation, also known as RFA. During an RFA procedure, your surgeon destroys the cancer cells by heating the tumor with high-energy radio waves.

Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses powerful X-ray beams to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Radiation therapy may be performed before surgery to shrink the tumor and may also be used in combination with other treatments.

Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop cancer cells from growing. When chemotherapy is oral or taken by mouth, or if chemotherapy is given through an IV line, the drugs travel through your bloodstream and reach cancer cells throughout your body. This is called systemic chemotherapy. When chemotherapy drugs are directed to a specific area of your body, the drugs target cancer cells in that region. This is called regional chemotherapy.

Targeted drug therapy: Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances to find and attack specific cancer cells without harming healthy cells. Monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinases inhibitors are two types of targeted therapy being used to treat non-small cell lung cancer.

Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy uses certain drugs to boost your own immune system so it can recognize and destroy cancer cells. The drugs used in immunotherapy are called checkpoint inhibitors. 

How long does it take to recover from treatment? Recovery after lung cancer treatment is different for everyone. It depends on several factors, including the size and location of the tumor, whether it has spread and your body’s own healing capacity. Some people may recover in a few months. For others, it could take years.

For more information about your treatment plan, contact your oncologist or specialist nurse.

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