The treatment offered is dependant upon various factors such as the area of the tumour, the type of cancer, the stage of the cancer and the general health of those who have been diagnosed.
Treatment options that may be offered include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
- Surgery
If the cancer is in the early stage surgery may be an option. This involves removing a section or the entire affected lung. However, if the cancer has already spread surgery is not usually an option.
Those suffering with small-cell lung cancer do not normally go down the surgery route.
Surgery may not be an option for those who suffer from poor health.
- Radiotherapy
This form of treatment uses high-energy beams of radiation focused on the cancerous tissue, killing the cells and stopping them from multiplying.
Those with SCLC and NSCLC may be given radiotherapy, usually being offered when the cancer is restricted to the lungs or has only spread to nearby lymph glands.
- Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a form of treatment that uses anti-cancer drugs. These drugs kill off the cancer cells and stop them from multiplying.
This is usually the treatment given to those with SCLC, and sometimes given post-surgery to those with NSCLC.
The type of cancer depends on what form of chemotherapy is provided.
- Other treatments
A new technique known as radiofrequency ablation involves inserting a small probe into the tumour and using radiofrequency energy to generate head and kill the surrounding tumour tissue. This treatment is most commonly used in those with small early-stage lung cancer where surgery is not appropriate.