Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

A history of the patient’s health habits
including smoking, and past jobs, illnesses, and treatments will also be taken.

Chest x-ray:
An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body.

CT scan (CAT scan):
A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, such as the chest, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.

PET scan (positron emission tomography scan):
A procedure to find malignant tumor cells in the body. A small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein. The PET scanner rotates around the body and makes a picture of where glucose is being used in the body. Malignant tumor cells show up brighter in the picture because they are more active and take up more glucose than normal cells do.

Sputum cytology:
A procedure in which a pathologist views a sample of sputum (mucus coughed up from the lungs) under a microscope, to check for cancer cells.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the lung:
The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue using a thin needle. This procedure is also called needle biopsy. Ultrasound or another imaging procedure is used to locate the abnormal tissue in the lung. A small incision may be made in the skin where the biopsy needle is inserted into the abnormal tissue. A sample is removed with the needle and sent to the laboratory. A pathologist then views the sample under a microscope to look for cancer cells.

Bronchoscopy:
A procedure to look inside the trachea (windpipe) and large airways in the lung for abnormal areas. A bronchoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the nose or mouth into the trachea and lungs. Tissue samples may be taken for biopsy.

Thoracoscopy:
A surgical procedure to look at the organs inside the chest to check for abnormal areas. An incision (cut) is made between two ribs, and a thoracoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted into the chest. Tissue samples and lymph nodes may be removed for biopsy. This procedure may be used to remove parts of the lung. If certain tissues, organs, or lymph nodes can’t be reached, a thoracotomy may be done. In this procedure, a larger incision is made between the ribs and the chest is opened.

Thoracentesis:
The removal of fluid from the space between the lining of the chest and the lung, using a needle. A pathologist views the fluid under a microscope to look for cancer cells.

For patients with disease localized to one mass within a lung, treatment usually involves surgery to remove the cancer. Surgery can involve the removal of part of the lung or the whole lung. For patients who cannot undergo such surgery, radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery or radiofrequency ablation may be offered to eradicate the disease.

For patients with disease that involves the lung and lymphnodes within the chest, treatment usually consists of chemotherapy and radiation therapy used together. The goal of this treatment is to cure the cancer, though most patients do have recurrence of the disease.

For patients with spread of cancer to the other lung, pleurae cavity or another site in the body, treatment usually consists of newer, molecularly targeted drugs that can control the disease for some time. However, this stage of disease is not curable currently with available therapy.