Phone Numbers
Directory assistance
(203) 688-4242
Patient information
(203) 688-4177
Adult emergency
(203) 688-2222
Children's emergency
(203) 688-3333
Admitting
(203) 688-2221
Children's admitting
(203) 688-3331
Psychiatric admitting
(203) 688-9907
Mailing address:
Yale-New Haven Hospital
20 York Street
New Haven, CT
06510-3202
Treating lung cancer
Treatment of lung cancer depends on the size and location of the tumor, the stage of the disease, your overall health and other factors. Your physician will discuss all treatment options with you. See also: Staging cancers, and Questions to ask your cancer specialist.
Types of lung cancer
There are two main types of lung cancer, nonsmall cell and small cell.
- Nonsmall cell lung cancer is a common form caused by smoking, secondary exposure to smoke and radon exposure.
- Small cell lung cancer is also sometimes called oat cell cancer. It is found primarily in smokers and is usually detected after cancer has spread beyond one lung.
Types of treatment offered for lung cancer
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is often the treatment for lung cancer patients
whose cancer is not operable or whose cancer has spread from the lung
to other parts within the chest, including other lymph nodes or other
tissues. It may be used with other therapies to treat patients whose cancer
has spread to other parts of the body from the lungs or who are too ill
to undergo surgery. After completion of radiation treatment, clinical
trials are available for exploring ways to keep tumors in remission.
More information on radiation therapy at YNHH
Surgery
Surgery is usually the treatment for non-small cell cancers,
if the cancer is in only one lung with possible spread to the lymph nodes.
During surgery, your physician will also take out lymph nodes to see if
they contain cancer. For patients whose cancer has spread to the regional
lymph nodes, clinical
trials are available. In these trials, chemotherapy and surgery are
combined in order to better control the cancer.
Types of lung cancer surgery
Wedge
resection: A small section of the lung is removed.
Lobectomy: A whole section of one lung is removed.
Pneumonectomy: The entire lung is removed.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy may be used with surgery and/or radiation therapy to treat
non-small cell lung cancer that remains localized to the chest. Chemotherapy
may also be used if the cancer has spread outside the chest.
Chemotherapy is used for all stages of small cell lung cancer with or without radiation therapy.
Biological therapy
Biological therapies
are not part of the standard treatment for lung cancer but are being evaluated
in clinical trials.
See also:
Online physician referral service
Last revised: May 1, 2007 (dh)
