The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended targeted therapy, alectinib, as an adjuvant treatment after surgery for people with stage 1b-3a ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

Prior to the recommendation, the standard treatment for those post-surgery was active monitoring or chemotherapy.

However, clinical trial evidence suggests that when people have alectinib after surgery, their cancer is less likely to come back than if they have chemotherapy.

Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, described the recommendation as ‘a further demonstration of progress’ in our fight against lung cancer.

“We are finding more ways to treat lung cancer and, with this latest recommendation, reduce the chances of it coming back.

Whilst we recognise this announcement will only benefit a small subset of our lung cancer community, it is a further demonstration of progress in our fight against this awful disease and the thousands of people it affects.

“As our latest campaign – Let Go of the Labels – highlights, lung cancer is an illness that can affect anyone, and everyone deserves the best chance to be diagnosed as soon as possible and have access to the best possible treatments.”

Lung cancer recurrence

The risk of lung cancer returning is dependent on many factors, including the type of lung cancer, its stage at diagnosis and how it was treated.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), around 20-30% of people diagnosed with stage 1 disease experience recurrence within five years, while small cell lung cancer tends to be more aggressive than non-small cell lung cancer and so has a higher rate of recurrence.

Some lifestyle changes can make to reduce the chance of lung cancer coming back:

Stop smoking
Reduce exposure to air pollution, radon gas and other harmful chemicals
Staying active and exercising regularly.

It is important to remember everyone responds to treatment differently which is why all patients are closely monitored for several years following treatment.