Lung cancer treatment can be either aimed to relieve the symptoms and enhance the quality of life of the patient or can be focused in completely curing the patient of the lung cancer. The best treatment for lung cancer is based on the stage of the cancer, the spread of tumour and the overall health of the patient. Some of the general treatment modalities of lung cancer are as follows:

• Surgery

During the surgery, the oncologist will aim to remove the tumour and a little of the surrounding healthy tissue to ensure there is no re-occurrence of the disease. The location and size of a lung tumour determines how extensive a surgery is required. Depending on the spread of tumour, overall health of the patient and other associated health complications, the oncologist may perform an open thoracotomy or minimally-invasive video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or even a robot-assisted thoracic surgery. The types of lung cancer surgery in India are as follows:

• Wedge resection (Segmental resection)

In this procedure, only the diseased and surrounding tissues of the lung is taken out, which is generally just a small portion.

• Lobectomy

The surgical removal of the entire lobe of the lung is called lobectomy. This is done when the cancer has spread but is contained inside the lobe. This is one of the commonest surgeries for lung cancer. When two lobes are surgically removed it is known as bi-lobectomy.

• Pneumonectomy

The procedure to surgically remove the lung is known as pneumonectomy. A pneumonectomy is most commonly performed to remove tumour tissues from lung cancer. As this procedure will decrease the respiratory capacity of the patient, the surgeon will assess the patient's ability to function after removal of the lung tissue. Patients are often given an incentive spirometer after the procedure to help them exercise their remaining lung and boost respiratory function.

• Photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy may be a choice for the treatment of superficial, non-small cell lung cancers that have not spread beyond the lungs and those located in areas that are easily reached by the instruments used during the surgery. Photodynamic therapy uses a special medicine which begins to work when exposed to light. The drug is administered into your bloodstream, and the cancer cells consume it. The drug becomes active when exposed to high-energy laser light, and kills the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy may be used for treating certain early-stage lung cancer cases. It may also be used to help relieve blocked airway symptoms.

• Radiosurgery

Stereotactic body radiotherapy, also known as radiosurgery, is an intense radiation therapy that directs several radiation beams at the cancer from many angles. Usually stereotactic body radiotherapy is done in one or several procedures. In cases where the tumour is small and undergoing surgery can be risky, radiosurgery approach is used. In this approach, high doses of accurate and targeted radiation are delivered only to the cancer cells in the lung sparing the surrounding healthy tissues.

• Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is done either to shrink the size of the tumour before surgery or after surgery to target any residual cancer cells. It may also be used as a primary treatment approach or to treat lung cancer that has metastasized to other parts of the body. In radiation therapy high energy beams of proton or x-rays are used to deliberately target the cancer cells. In brachytherapy, radiation is delivered straight to the disease site. This is usually achieved through an operating procedure where radioactive seeds are sutured to the edge of the surgical resection after resection of the primary tumour. In addition, when an obstructive tumour is found within an airway, radiation is transmitted to the obstruction site through a plastic tube that is partially inserted into the airway.

• Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy may be given as tablets or by injection. Chemotherapy drugs conflict with the growing and spreading capacity of cancer cells. They also destroy healthy cells, however with time, healthy cells will recuperate. Chemotherapy is often used to destroy any cancer cells that may linger after surgery. It can be used by itself or in conjunction with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy can also be used before surgery to decrease the size of the tumours to make it easier to remove. Chemotherapy may be used in individuals with advanced lung cancer to relieve pain and other symptoms.

• Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy takes advantage of your immune system to fight cancer. The disease-fighting immune system in your body may not destroy your cancer, as the cancer cells produce proteins that confuse the cells of the immune system. Immunotherapy works by disrupting the process. Generally, immunotherapy is reserved for patients with advanced lung cancer.

• Targeted therapy

Targeted drug treatments concentrate on specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die by blocking those abnormalities. Many targeted therapy drugs are used to treat lung cancer, though the majority are reserved for people with advanced or recurrent cancer. Some targeted therapies function only in people who have certain genetic mutations in the cancer cells. Targeted therapy is sometimes used to treat non-small cell lung cancer which has re-occurred or is not reacting to chemotherapy.