Metastatic lung cancer are cancer cells from the lungs that have spread to other parts of the body. This traveling of cancer cells is called metastasis. Treatment depends on the type, size and location of the cancer as well as the patient's age and health. It can be one treatment or a combination of treatments.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, commonly referred to as chemo, is a treatment using drugs that kill cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy can be given in pill form or a liquid, as a shot, and is usually given intravenously, through a vein or catheter. Depending on a patient's specific treatment, chemo may be given once a day, once a week or once a month. Most often a combination of chemo drugs are given to fight the cancer.
Radiation
Radiation therapy treats lung cancer by changing the DNA of the cancer cells to stop them from growing and multiplying. The most common way of delivering radiation is by a machine called a linear accelerator. This treatment can target multiple areas of the body such as the main tumor, lymph nodes and nearby organs. It is typically given daily over a few weeks on an outpatient basis. Internal radiation is the placement of a radioactive container placed into the chest rectum, uterus or vagina close to the tumor or directly into the tumor itself.
Immunotherapy
Two types of immunotherapy are available for the treatment of lung cancer. Active immunotherapy stimulates a patient's immune system to fight the cancer. Passive immunotherapy uses antibodies or other immune system components made in a lab to help the body fight the cancer.
Antiangiogenesis Therapy
This treatment for metastatic lung cancer is a targeted therapy that uses drugs to keep tumors from making new blood vessels that enable them to grow. The drugs specifically target the cancerous tumor without affecting the surrounding healthy cells.
Photodynamic Therapy
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a lung cancer treatment that uses a photosensitizing agent such as a cream or drug injected into the body. The drug is absorbed by the cancerous cells in a few minutes or a few days, and light is applied to the area where the cancer is located. The light mixes with the drug to form a chemical that kills the cancer. It also destroys the blood vessels that allows tumors to grow, stimulating the immune system to attack the cancer.
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