Treatment for lung cancer depends on the stage of your cancer and may include surgery to remove the cancer, radiation therapy, or medications (chemotherapy). Treatment for non–small and small cell cancer may be different.

Treatment for lung cancer may include one or more of the following therapies:

• Surgery (taking out the cancer). Surgery may involve removing the cancer (wedge resection), removing the affected lobe of lung (lobectomy), or removing the entire lung (pneumonectomy). Surgery is the most effective treatment for early-stage non–small cell lung cancers (stages I and II). Lung function studies and a lung scan are often done before surgery to predict whether you will have enough remaining lung function after surgery to live a fairly normal life.
• Radiation therapy (using high-dose X-rays to kill cancer cells). Radiation therapy is often used in combination with surgery or chemotherapy or both. Radiation following surgery for stages IIA, IIB, and IIIA (with lymph node involvement) may reduce the risk of cancer returning in the chest.
• Chemotherapy (using medications to kill cancer cells). Chemotherapy is the most effective treatment for small cell lung cancer. It can help control the growth and spread of the cancer, but it is a cure in only a small number of people. Chemotherapy has been shown to improve survival in non–small lung cancer when it is given after surgery for early-stage cancers.¹¹ It may also be used to treat more advanced stages (stages III and IV) of non–small cell lung cancer.
• Targeted therapy. Targeted therapies use medications or antibodies to block growth factors that allow some cancers to grow. At this time, targeted therapies are used for advanced stages of lung cancer.

If you smoke and have lung cancer, quitting smoking will make your treatment more effective and may help you live longer. Smoking delays healing after surgery, so you may have a better recovery from lung cancer surgery if you have quit smoking. People with early-stage lung cancer who continue to smoke during radiation therapy have been shown to have shorter survival times that those who do not smoke.¹² It may also make chemotherapy less effective; the nicotine in tobacco seems to help the cancer cells and their blood supply multiply while also protecting the cancer cells from destruction.¹³ For information and help quitting smoking, see the topic Quitting Tobacco Use.

Initial treatment

The kind of treatment and the long-term outcome of lung cancer depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Your age, overall health, and quality of life must also be considered. Many people with lung cancer are diagnosed with the disease when the cancer is already in an advanced stage. Only about 16% of lung cancers are diagnosed in the early stages when lung cancer is likely to be cured by surgery.¹