Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing them or by interfering with their division. This type of treatment may be given after surgery to attack cells that may have spread beyond the tumor (adjuvant therapy) or before surgery to shrink a tumor before removing it (neoadjuvant therapy).

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The drugs are taken orally or injected into a vein, and they travel throughout the body. This method of delivery means that they affect not only malignant cells but healthy ones as well, leading to the unpleasant side effects for which chemo is known. For more on this see our section on managing chemo's side effects.

There are a variety of drugs used to treat lung cancer. The first therapies to be used typically include either cisplatin or carboplatin. Recent studies have also shown a benefit in adding bevacizumab in certain cases. Chemotherapy agents are usually given in combination with one another over the course of months with breaks between treatments to give your body a chance to recuperate. The drugs you are given will depend on the type of lung cancer you have.