Understanding Lung Cancer

How is Lung Cancer Treated?

Last updated and reviewed on May 16, 2026.

Lung cancer is treated using several different approaches, and most patients receive more than one type of treatment. The most common treatment approaches include systemic chemotherapy, especially platinum-based drugs, in combination with radiation therapy and surgery. These three have been the backbone of lung cancer care for many years. Surgery is usually the main option for early-stage cancers, where the goal is to remove the tumor completely before it has a chance to spread. When surgery is not possible, radiation therapy may be used as the primary treatment, and targeted therapy and immunotherapy may also be considered based on specific tumor characteristics.

• Chemotherapy works by using powerful drugs to kill fast-growing cells, including cancer cells. It is often given in cycles, meaning patients receive the treatment for a period of time, then rest, then receive it again. While chemotherapy can cause side effects like nausea, hair loss, and fatigue, doctors have many tools today to help manage those symptoms. Chemotherapy is sometimes used before surgery to shrink a tumor, after surgery to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back, or as a main treatment for cancers that cannot be removed with surgery.

• Targeted therapy is a newer type of treatment that works differently from chemotherapy. Instead of attacking all fast-growing cells, targeted drugs zero in on specific changes, called mutations, in cancer cells. Considerable improvements have been made in treatments that target molecular changes in cancer, and clinical trials targeting mutations such as ALK and EGFR using tyrosine kinase inhibitors have shown improved quality of life and response rates in patients with lung cancer. Before starting treatment, your doctor will test your cancer's DNA to see if you have one of these mutations. If you do, a targeted drug may work far better for you than standard chemotherapy.

• Immunotherapy is another major advance in lung cancer care. These medicines do not attack cancer directly. Instead, they help your own immune system recognize and fight cancer cells more effectively. The introduction of immunotherapy, particularly treatments targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, marked a major shift in care, as these therapies harness the immune system's ability to recognize and attack tumor cells, leading to long-term remissions in some patients who previously would not have had that option. Immunotherapy is now used at many different stages of lung cancer, not just advanced disease. Since 2024, the treatment landscape for non-small cell lung cancer has undergone a major shift, driven by 11 FDA approvals, with recent advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapies revolutionizing care and ushering in an era of personalized treatment with improved patient outcomes.

For some patients, a combination of treatments is used at the same time. For example, chemotherapy and immunotherapy are often given together for advanced lung cancer. Radiation and chemotherapy may be used together for cancers that cannot be surgically removed. Doctors also sometimes give treatments before surgery, called neoadjuvant therapy, to shrink the tumor first and make it easier to remove. The order and combination of treatments depends on your specific cancer, and your care team will explain why they are recommending the approach they have chosen for you.

Supportive care during treatment

When people hear the term "supportive care," they sometimes think it only applies to patients who are very sick or near the end of life. That is a common misunderstanding. Supportive care, also called palliative care, is actually for anyone going through a serious illness, at any stage, and at any point during treatment. Its goal is to help you feel as well as possible while you are fighting cancer. Palliative care is defined as medical care provided by an interdisciplinary team focused on the relief of suffering and support for the best possible quality of life for patients facing serious life-threatening illness and their families, aiming to identify and address the physical, psychological, spiritual, and practical burdens of illness.

The broad term of "supportive care" for patients with advanced lung cancer can include a variety of medical, psychological, and alternative therapies, all of which can help ease symptoms. This includes things like medications to control pain, nausea, or shortness of breath; counseling to help with anxiety and depression; nutrition support; and physical therapy to help keep your strength up. Interventions such as guided imagery, breathing techniques, and educational tools can have a positive impact on common psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression, and the involvement of social and spiritual support for patients and families can certainly impact physical symptoms as well as overall quality of life.

Research has shown that starting supportive care early makes a real difference. A landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients with advanced lung cancer who received early palliative care alongside their regular cancer treatment had better quality of life and mood compared to those who only received standard oncology care1. Rates of depression also differed significantly between the groups, with approximately half as many patients in the palliative care group reporting clinically significant depressive symptoms. This study helped change the way the medical community thinks about palliative care, shifting the view from a last resort to an essential part of treatment from the very beginning.

Palliative care is rapidly becoming an important part of cancer care, and patients with advanced lung cancer clearly experience benefits in quality of life and potentially even in overall survival when palliative care is incorporated early on after diagnosis. The palliative care team works alongside your oncology team, not instead of them. The team should include the patient's treating physician, nurses, as well as supportive care experts such as social workers, psychologists, spiritual counselors, pulmonary rehabilitation specialists, case managers, pain specialists, and dietitians. This group of people works together to make sure all of your needs are being met, not just your medical ones.

It is important to know that supportive care is not giving up. The term palliative care has often been misunderstood as synonymous with hospice care, but while hospice care is specifically provided to patients who are no longer receiving disease-modifying treatment, palliative care is provided to patients with serious illness regardless of whether their treatment intent is curative or supportive. You can receive supportive care while also receiving chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, or any other active treatment. Ask your care team about what supportive care services are available to you, because you deserve to feel as comfortable and supported as possible throughout your entire treatment journey.

Follow-up care after treatment ends

• When your main cancer treatment ends, you move into a phase called survivorship. This does not mean your doctors say goodbye; instead, you begin follow-up care to make sure you stay healthy. The primary goal of these checkups is to watch for any signs of the cancer returning and to help you manage any long-term side effects from your treatment.

• Your doctor will give you a survivorship care plan, which is like a map for your future health. It usually includes a schedule for physical exams and imaging tests, like CT scans, every few months for the first couple of years. Over time, if everything looks good, these visits might only happen once a year. These regular checkups help catch any changes early when they are easiest to handle.

• Follow-up care also focuses on your overall wellness. Your team might help you with a plan to stay active, eat healthy foods, or quit smoking if that is a challenge for you. They will also keep an eye on your heart and lung health, especially if you have had radiation or certain types of chemotherapy that can affect those organs over time.

• It is very important to keep your own copies of your medical records and treatment summaries. You can do this using HealthTree and electronically connecting all your medical records to your phone. Since you might see different doctors in the future, having a record of exactly what treatments you received helps them give you the best care. Follow-up care is all about staying proactive and giving you the peace of mind to move forward with your life after cancer.