In most cases sclc has already spread by the time it is found so chemotherapy chemo is usually part of treatment.
Small cell lung cancer stage 4 treatment.
At cancer treatment centers of america ctca we offer a variety of treatment options to patients with stage iv lung cancer including immunotherapy radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy chemo medicines kill cancer cells or slow.
If you smoke one of the most important things you can do to be ready for treatment is to quit.
After you finish treatment you might have radiotherapy to your head.
Chemotherapy and other treatments for non small cell lung cancer nsclc can slow the progression of cancer and sometimes even cure the disease.
For people who can t have chemo radiation therapy is usually the treatment of choice.
This can be helpful for some people to control symptoms of brain metastases bone pain bleeding from the lungs or difficulty breathing caused by tumors that are obstructing the airways.
This won t stop aggressive stage 4 non small cell lung cancer that has spread but it may be recommended as palliative therapy.
Before you get into the treatments for your stage you ll need to know which treatments are most often used for small cell lung cancer.
For example some people not in good health might get only 1 chemo drug instead of 2.
If the chemotherapy works well you might have radiotherapy to your chest after chemotherapy.
Stage 4 lung cancer is the most advanced stage of lung cancer in stage 4 the cancer has spread metastasized to both lungs the area around the lungs or distant organs according to the national.
In some cases treatments may be palliative used to ease the symptoms associated with the disease and improve quality of life.
It may be offered as the first treatment for people who are not able to have surgery.
For practical reasons small cell lung cancer sclc is usually staged as either limited or extensive.
As with other stages treatment for stage iv lung cancer depends on a person s overall health.
Treatment aims to control the cancer for as long as possible and help to reduce symptoms.