Lung Cancer : Treatment
Lung cancer treatment depends on several factors, including the type and size of the cancer, its location and your overall health. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the primary tools for treating lung cancer and may be used alone or in combination.
- Non-small cell lung cancer may be treated radiation therapy, surgery abd chemotherapy.
- Small cell lung cancer is usually treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
A team of doctors will help you decide on the best treatment for you. This team may include a radiation oncologist, a medical oncologist and a surgeon.
External Beam Radiation Therapy
External beam radiation therapy targets your lung cancer. Radiation is given in a series of daily radiation treatments, Monday throught Friday. Treatments are painless and last less than 30 minutes.
- Conventional radiation therapy uses multiple radiation fields to target the cancer and keep radiation from healthy cells.
- 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) combines multiple radiation treatment fields to deliver precise doses of radiation to the lung tumor. Tailoring each of the radiation beams to focus on the tumor targets the cancer while protecting nearby healthy tissue.
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a form of 3D-CRT that modifies the radiation by varying the intensity of each radiation beam. IMRT is still being studied for lung cancer.
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a specialized form of 3D-CRT that delivers high doses of radiation over a period of five to eight days. It is currently being evaluated for the treatment of lung cancer. This type of treatment is available at only a few centers around the country.
Internal Radiation
- Internal radiation or brachytherapy is the placement of radioactive material into or near your tumor.
- Before treatment, a bronchoscopy will be done to place one or two thin plastic tubes into your nose and into the airways of the lung.
- The tube or tubes are then connected to a brachytherapy machine. The tube serves as a channel to deliver a dose of radiation by briefly placing a tiny radioactive source near the lung tumor.
- After treatment, the tubes are removed. They may be placed again if you need more treatment.
Our highly motivated team, under the direction of Dr. Jack Tidwell and the
staff of the Tidwell Cancer Treatment Center, shares a deep commitment to
the delivery of leading-edge therapies for lung cancer. Working as a team with
our patients, their families and other physicians, we provide the surrounding
community with the finest radiation cancer treatment available.
Radiation therapy for lung cancer is directed to a limited area and affects the
cancer cells only in that area. Radiation therapy may be used before surgery
to shrink a tumor, or after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain in
the treated area. Doctors also use radiation therapy, often combined with
chemotherapy, as primary treatment. Radiation for the treatment of lung
cancer most often comes from a machine called a linear accelerator (high
energy x-ray). We offer the latest in leading-edge technology with Intensity
Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) for our lung cancer patients. With this
technology, we are able to deliver up to 54 beams of highly conformal doses of
radiation therapy sparing healthy tissues such as the esophagus, heart and
spinal cord. This prevents most side effects such as esophagitis, cardiac
problems and pneumonitis.
This radiation can also come from an implant (a small physical source of high
energy radioactive material) placed directly into or near the tumor (internal
radiation).
