Treating Stage 3A Lung Cancer: The Gray Zone
Lung Cancer
Stage 3A lung cancer, where the cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest as the cancer, can be something of a “gray zone” when it comes to treatment decisions, according to Dr. Joseph Friedberg, Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Maryland. So doctors may disagree on how to approach this stage of the disease.
Dr. Friedberg says that in his opinion, it may be appropriate to give chemotherapy with or without radiation before surgery to people who are young and/or are otherwise healthy individuals. The goal is to shrink the tumor and kill all errant cancer cells before surgery and then to remove the now smaller tumor. Dr. Friedberg says a controversial approach for treating 3A lung cancer is the removal of an entire lung, which obviously has a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Stage 3A lung cancer, where the cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest as the cancer, can be something of a “gray zone” when it comes to treatment decisions, according to Dr. Joseph Friedberg, Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Maryland. So doctors may disagree on how to approach this stage of the disease.
Dr. Friedberg says that in his opinion, it may be appropriate to give chemotherapy with or without radiation before surgery to people who are young and/or are otherwise healthy individuals. The goal is to shrink the tumor and kill all errant cancer cells before surgery and then to remove the now smaller tumor. Dr. Friedberg says a controversial approach for treating 3A lung cancer is the removal of an entire lung, which obviously has a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Treatment: Early Stages
Treatment: Stage Three
There are several types of lung cancer surgery, and the decision about which is best is based largely on the location of your cancer, its size and whether it has started to spread.
Treatment: Surgery
There are several types of lung cancer surgery, and the decision about which is best is based largely on the location of your cancer, its size and whether it has started to spread.