Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the lungs.

Chemoprevention uses drugs to prevent a second cancer from occurring.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or from putting materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes in the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).

One new type of radiation therapy is called radiosurgery. In radiosurgery, radiation is directly focused on the tumor, and involves as little normal tissue as possible. Radiosurgery is usually used as treatment of tumors that involve the brain.

Cryosurgery freezes the tumor and kills it. Photodynamic therapy uses a certain type of light and a special chemical to kill cancer cells. Laser therapy uses a narrow beam of light to kill cancer cells. Cryosurgery and photodynamic therapy are usually used in clinical trials.

Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are used to treat non-small cell lung cancer. However, these treatments often do not cure the disease.

If lung cancer is found, a patient may want to think about taking part in one of the many clinical trials being done to improve treatment. Clinical trials are ongoing in most parts of the country for all stages of non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment choices can be discussed with a doctor.

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer can be divided into three groups, depending on the stage of the cancer and the treatment that is planned. The first group (stages 0, I and II) includes patients whose cancers can be taken out by surgery. The operation that takes out only a small part of the lung is called a wedge resection. When a whole section (lobe) of the lung is taken out, the operation is called a lobectomy. When one whole lung is taken out, it is called a pneumonectomy.

Radiation therapy may be used to treat patients in this group who cannot have surgery because they have other medical problems. Like surgery, radiation therapy is called local treatment because it works only on the cells in the area being treated.

The second group of patients has lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or to lymph nodes. These patients can be treated with radiation therapy alone or with surgery and radiation, chemotherapy and radiation, or chemotherapy alone.

The third group of patients has lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Radiation therapy may be used to shrink the cancer and to relieve pain. Chemotherapy may be used to treat some patients in this group.