How Is Lung Cancer Treated?

The treatment of lung cancer depends on its type and extent. Therefore, the doctor must obtain specific information before suggesting a treatment. The doctor will need to know:

• The type of lung cancer the patient has - whether small-cell lung cancer or non-small-cell lung cancer
  
• The size of the growth
  
• Exactly where in the lung it is
  
• Whether the cancer has spread, and, if so, how far
  

Obtaining all this information is known as staging the cancer. "Staging" is a method that has been developed to describe the extent of cancer growth. Staging helps to predict:

• How an individual is expected to fare over time
  
• The chances that the cancer will come back (recur)
  

Staging allows the physician to customize cancer treatment. In general, the lower the stage the better the person's prognosis (expected outcome).
Lung cancer is "staged" by information that is obtained from the biopsy and the results of the various imaging studies, such as chest x-ray or CT scan. The physician uses all available findings to determine the stage that best describes the person's condition.

Tests performed for staging may include:

• CT scan or MRI scan or both. Computerized images are obtained from both of these tests, which allows the lung to be seen in thin slices, clearly showing the extent of any growth within the lung. These tests may also be performed on other parts of the body if there is suspicion that the growth may have spread to other parts of the body.
  
• Other scanning techniques include various forms of radionucleid scanning and bone scans. These tests can help detect whether the cancer has spread to other organs in the body or to the bones. A low dose of harmless radioactive substance is injected into a vein, and as it travels around the body a specialized scanning machine is able to record radioactivity levels throughout the body. Since the uptake of the radioactive material is different in areas of the body affected by cancer, these areas are readily identified.
  
• A further specialized test called mediastinoscopy may be offered. This procedure is done while a patient is under general anesthesia. A narrow telescope, to which a camera may be attached, is introduced into the front of the chest through a small incision, or sometimes through a small incision in the neck. A sample of tissue can then be removed from the lymph nodes and other nearby tissue.
  

Understanding Lung Cancer "Staging"