Treatment of metastatic lung cancer

Treatment of small cell lung cancer is based on chemotherapy. We can also combine radiation therapy for some patients.

Treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is determined by the subtype of the cancer, the genetic factors of the cancer, the patient’s functional capacity, and any other diseases they may have. In approximately 70% of cases, NSCLC has locally advanced or metastasized and is therefore not suitable for surgery.

We treat metastatic lung cancer with medications appropriate for the diagnosis and, if necessary, with radiation therapy to slow the progression of the disease. Smoking decreases the efficacy of chemotherapy medication and radiation therapy.

Pharmaceutical treatment of lung cancer

Cytotoxic agents are medications that prevent cells from dividing. We can administer different types of chemotherapy drugs with distinct mechanisms of action simultaneously to enhance their efficacy. Chemotherapy particularly affects rapidly dividing cells such as cancer cells. They also affect the division of healthy cells and tissue renewal, resulting in the adverse effects caused by chemotherapy. The faster the renewal of the affected tissue (such as hair, mucous membranes, bone marrow that produces blood and the immune defense cells), the more distinct the adverse effects are as well.

Immunological cancer drugs are administered intravenously and they affect the body’s immune defensive system. Their purpose is to improve the function of defensive cells and to reveal cancer cells for identification by the defensive cells. This is not only a medical treatment targeting cancer cells, but the treatment can have other adverse effects in the body.

Some patients will benefit from immunological drug therapy, even if it is long-term, but the treatment is not curative. However, not all subtypes of lung cancer benefit from immunological drugs or the patient may not be suitable for the therapy. We use the immunological cancer drug either alone or in combination with cytotoxic agents.

In a small percentage of patients, approximately 10–15%, the cancer has developed in relation to a known genetic defect, i.e. a mutation, which enables so-called targeted drug therapy. These mutations are more common in lung cancers in non-smokers or patients who have only smoked a small amount.  

Currently, treatments that permanently cure metastasized lung cancer are not known.