Medications & Treatment for Lung Cancer

by Eric Smith

Overview

Lung cancer is a disease that begins in the lungs and is a leading cause of cancer deaths. Cigarette smoking is the cause of most lung cancer cases. Lung cancer may be treated with surgery and other types of treatment.
Resection Surgery

According to the Mayo Clinic, cases of lung cancer that affect a smaller area of the lungs may be treated with a wedge resection, in which a small section of lung tissue and tumor cells is surgically removed. A segmental resection may be performed to remove a larger section of lung tissue without removing an entire lung lobe.

Other Surgery

In cases where lung cancer has overtaken larger areas of the lungs it may be necessary to remove an entire lobe of a lung with a lobectomy. A pneumonectomy may be performed if an entire lung needs to be removed.
Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy may be used in combination with surgery to kill cancer cells with courses of targeted chemotherapy drugs.
Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses a high energy beam such as an x-ray to kill cancer cells and may be performed with other cancer treatments.
Targeted Drug Therapy

Avastin may be prescribed to prevent a lung cancer tumor from creating the blood supply that it needs. Tarceva may be used to block chemical signals that tell a cancer cell to grow and spread.