RADIATION THERAPY for LUNG CANCER
Understanding Your Treatment Options

Types of Lung Cancer

The two main types of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.

• Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer. It often grows and spreads less rapidly than small cell lung cancer. There are three types of non-small cell lung cancer — squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma.
• Non-small cell lung cancer is more common than small cell lung cancer. It grows more rapidly and is more likely to spread to other organs in the body.
• Lung cancer usually starts in one lung. Without treatment, it can spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the chest, including the other lung. Lung cancer can also metastasize (or spread) to the bones, brain, liver or other organs.

Treatment for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer treatment depends on several factors, including the type and size of the cancer, its location, and the patient’s overall health. Typically, several different treatments and combinations of treatments are used to treat lung cancer. Usually a team of doctors is involved in your care, including a surgeon, radiation oncologist, and a medical oncologist.

• Non-small cell lung cancer may be treated first with surgery. A combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be recommended following surgery.
• Small cell lung cancer is often treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy either at the same time or one right after the other.

Understanding Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, is the careful use of radiation to safely and effectively treat cancer.

• Radiation oncologists are physicians who use radiation therapy to try to cure cancer, control cancer growth or to relieve symptoms, such as pain.
• Radiation therapy damages cancer cells’ ability to multiply. When these cells die, the body naturally eliminates them.
• Radiation also affects healthy cells, but they are able to repair themselves in a way cancer cells cannot.

External Beam Radiation Therapy

External beam radiation therapy involves a series of daily radiation treatments targeting your lung tumor.

• Radiation therapy treatments are delivered in a series of daily sessions. Each treatment is painless and lasts less than 30 minutes, Monday through Friday, for several weeks.
• 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) combines multiple radiation treatment fields to deliver precise doses of radiation to the lung tumor. Tailoring each of the radiation beams to accurately target the tumor kills the cancer while protecting nearby healthy tissue.
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a form of 3D-CRT that varies the intensity of each radiation beam. This technique allows a precise adjustment of radiation doses to the tissues within the target area, possibly allowing a higher radiation dose to the tumor and keeping more radiation away from nearby healthy tissues. IMRT is still being studied for lung cancer.
• Your radiation oncologist may recommend applying radiation to the brain after successfully treating small cell lung cancer. Called prophylactic cranial irradiation, or PCI, this treatment is not recommended for all patients.

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