Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, is a lung cancer at stage IV levels. There is a very little chance that any treatment can completely remove NSCLC at this stage, but there are metastatic NSCLC treatment options that can help to relieve NSCLC symptoms and let you live a longer life.
Common Types of Metastatic NSCLC Treatment Options
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment that involves the use of targeted drugs to try and stop the cancer. It may be used in combination with, before, or after radiation therapy to help reduce the size of a tumour or to help remove cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is a metastatic NSCLC treatment for patients who are not healthy enough to undergo surgery.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy particles or rays to remove and kill cancer cells. Doctors can prescribe it in combination with chemotherapy, as well as before or after surgery.
Radiation therapy also helps to alleviate specific NSCLC symptoms, such as bleeding, trouble swallowing, or coughing. If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, radiation therapy can also alleviate the other symptoms associated with that condition.
Two types of radiation therapy are external beam radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy—Brachytherapy.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy works by using specific medicines that redirect the patient’s immune system to target and destroy more cancer cells.
This metastatic NSCLC treatment can be used on its own or in combination with chemotherapy.
Surgery
Surgery as metastatic NSCLC treatment usually involves removing the cancer by removing a part or all of the lung.
Pneumonectomy is a common metastatic NSCLC treatment when a tumour is too close to the centre of the chest. This procedure involves the removal of the entire lung. Meanwhile, lobectomy removes the lobe in the lung that contains the tumour. You could also get a segmentectomy, which only removes a part of the lobe.
It is important to talk with your doctor or oncologist before you decide on a metastatic NSCLC treatment. They can help you determine the best treatment for you.
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