Lung Cancer Treatment

Treatment for lung cancer depends upon a variety of factors. The most important factors are the histopathologic (diseased tissue) type of lung cancer and the stage of the cancer.

Once the stage of the lung cancer has been determined, the oncology team and the patient work together to develop a treatment plan. It is important for lung cancer patients to discuss the value of different forms of therapy with their oncologist.

Other factors that affect lung cancer treatment include the patient's general health, medical conditions that can affect treatment (such as chemotherapy), and tumor characteristics.

lung cancer cure rate

The survival rate for lung cancer refers to the percentage of people who survive the disease for a specific time period after their diagnosis. Relative survival rate, which we talk about in this article, measures the survival of people with lung cancer in comparison to the general population. The overall 5-year relative lung cancer survival rate for 1995-2002 was 15 percent.

Lung cancer cure

More than one in four of all diagnosed cancers involve the lung, and lung cancer remains the most common cancer-related cause of death among American men and women. In 2008, more than 161,000 lung cancer deaths are expected, outnumbering deaths from breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.

At the same time, it may well be that a great many lung cancers are preventable. Inhaling cancer-causing substances such as tobacco smoke may lead to changes in the lung tissue shortly after exposure — so-called precancerous changes. Nevertheless, cancer itself typically develops over a period of many years, and if detected at an early enough stage can be eliminated by a variety of treatments.