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Lung cancer: TreatmentsPrevention & detection | Diagnostics & staging | Treatments | Our team | For physicians | Stats & links | Lung cancer home Offering the most treatment options and advanced technologiesThe treatment techniques used at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center are among the most advanced in the country. St. Luke's offers more cancer treatment options than any facility in Wisconsin and also treats the most lung cancer patients in the state, according to the Cancer Registry Database, 2005. Treatment plans are customized to each patient and may include lung cancer surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or CyberKnife Radiosurgery. Case conferencesTreatment plans are developed by our team of experts, which meets at weekly case conferences to collaborate on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. Specialists from various medical disciplines at St. Luke's attend conferences to offer the most effective treatment options and latest innovations available. Traditional surgeryOften the most effective way to deal with lung cancer, particularly non-small cell lung cancer, is to remove tumors surgically. The type of surgery a doctor performs depends on the location of the tumor in the lung. An operation to remove only a small part of the lung is called a segmental or wedge resection. When the surgeon removes an entire lobe of the lung, the procedure is called a lobectomy. Pneumonectomy is the removal of an entire lung. Some tumors are inoperable (cannot be removed by surgery) because of the size or location, and some patients cannot have surgery for other medical reasons. Usually surgery is combined with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or both. Traditional lung cancer surgery involves an open incision and removal of all or part of the diseased lung. Open-incision surgery has long been the first line of treatment. It is sometimes considered the best treatment option, but has more risks and disadvantages than less-invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) This is a minimally invasive surgery using a “scope” to access the cancer. Instead of a single longer incision, VATS involves just 3 small incisions, a tiny video camera and special instruments. Pain, hospital stay, blood loss, recovery and risk of complications are significantly less than traditional surgery. Hospital stays are shortened by up to 60%. Most surgical patients are eligible for VATS, and short-term results have found that cancer control is equal to traditional lung cancer surgery. CyberKnife Breakthroughs in imaging and robotics technology have been combined in the revolutionary new Cyberknife radiosurgery system now available to cancer patients at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center. CyberKnife technology involves no cuts or incisions whatsoever. It destroys diseased tissue by precisely focusing multiple beams of high-energy radiation on the tumor site. It is specifically designed for treating the most complex and difficult tumors – cancers of the lung, spine, pancreas or brain. [ Learn more ] Learn more about minimally invasive surgical options for lung cancer (PDF file). Traditional radiation therapy for lung cancer involves using a computer to direct beams of radiation from a machine outside the body to treat the tumor site and destroy cancer cells or prevent them from growing. Some healthy tissue is also destroyed in the process. It is sometimes used with surgery or chemotherapy, or may be used to relieve symptoms such as shortness of breath. Possible side effects include skin irritation, nausea, hair loss and fatigue. A radiation oncologist prescribes the most effective treatment for the patient. Radiation therapists administer this individualized plan in a nurturing and attentive atmosphere. [ See what to expect ] Chemotherapy Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Chemotherapy may be delivered by pill, injection or IV catheter. It is sometimes used with surgery or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is typically used to destroy cancer cells that have migrated beyond the original site. Some treatments may be given before surgery and some may continue for several months after surgery. [ See what to expect ]
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