Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for nearly nine out of every 10 cases. There are three main subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer:

Squamous cell – This type of lung cancer is found centrally in the lung and is generally linked to smoking.

Adenocarcinoma – This type of lung cancer is found in the outer region of the lung.

Large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma – This type of lung cancer grows and spreads quickly and can be found anywhere in the lung.

Risk Factors for Lung Cancer

The greatest risk factor for any sort of lung cancer is either smoking tobacco or exposure to tobacco smoke. Other risk factors include family history, age (the average age of people who get lung cancer is 70) and exposure to environmental carcinogens such as asbestos or radon.

Symptoms of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Symptoms of non-small cell lung cancer include the following:

• Persistent cough
• Chest pain
• Hoarseness
• Weight loss/loss of appetite
• Bloody or rust-colored sputum
• Shortness of breath
• Chronic bronchitis or pneumonia

It is important to know that these conditions are often caused by problems other than cancer. However, early detection can lead to a more promising prognosis. If you have any of the possible symptoms of lung cancer, don't hesitate to visit your physician for testing. A number of tests are used in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, beginning with a full physical examination. Further tests include chest X-rays, CT scans, PET scans, MRI scans, and biopsies. Thorough testing allows for a precise diagnosis and subsequently to the creation of a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment at Cancer Treatment Centers of America

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we understand how overwhelming it is to be diagnosed with lung cancer. You may be taking in a lot of information about the disease and trying to determine your options for treatment. When you come to one of our state-of-the-art cancer hospitals, you’ll meet with a team of lung cancer experts that will talk to you about your diagnosis and explain your treatment options in terms that you can understand. Your team of doctors and other clinicians will help you create an integrated lung cancer treatment plan suited to your unique needs.

Lung cancer treatment options at CTCA include, but are not limited to:

• Surgery – Your doctors at CTCA will help you determine if lung cancer surgery is an option for you, and if so, can establish which type of surgery will best treat the cancer.
• Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy involves the use of anti-cancer drugs. Your team at CTCA can use innovative methods to deliver chemotherapy that minimize treatment side effects like nausea.
• Radiation – Your doctors may recommend either internal or external radiation, or both.
• Targeted Drug Therapy – This type of cancer treatment involves targeted drugs that interfere with cancer cell growth while sparing healthy tissue.
• Innovative Therapies – CTCA works hard to develop and adopt new therapies to treat lung cancer. Navigational bronchoscopy helps us to diagnose and treat cancer anywhere in the lungs. With High-Dose Rate brachytherapy, radiation is tightly contained within the lung tumor. This helps protect surrounding healthy tissues from the radiation. Patients can also receive brachytherapy treatments in a shorter duration of time compared to some standard radiation treatments. Another advanced radiation treatment technology called TomoTherapy^® HI-ART delivers precise, pinpointed radiation treatment to lung tumors. It can be used to retreat previously radiated areas that have a recurrent tumor with high doses of radiation.
• Complementary Lung Cancer Treatments – Complementary or alternative treatments at CTCA include nutrition therapy, naturopathic medicine, mind-body medicine, spiritual support, pain management, chiropractic support, and physical therapy.

Our lung cancer experts practice integrative treatment. This means our doctors and other clinicians work together, providing comprehensive treatment that’s best suited to each patient’s unique needs. We treat the whole person—body, mind and spirit. Furthermore, we believe that you should be at the center of your treatment and that you should be equipped to make informed decisions about your healthcare.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with lung cancer and would like to learn more about our innovative treatment approach at CTCA, please call us at 1-800-615-3055 to speak with one of our friendly and helpful Oncology Information Specialists. You can also chat with us online anytime.