When lung cancer is caught early, it is possible to cure the disease.
Healthcare professionals tend to use terms such as ‘remission’ or ‘no evidence of disease’ (NED) rather than describing someone as cured. This is because cancer cells can come back.
You may be considered cured if you have had clear scans for at least five years.
Curative-intent treatments for lung cancer
The type of treatment you have will depend on several different factors, including the type of lung cancer, its stage and the size and location of the tumour, as well as your general health and fitness.
Treatment options may include:
Wherever possible, surgery is the often the recommended treatment option to remove the tumour. It is also possible to aim to cure lung cancer with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In some cases, people may require a combination of these treatments.
If you have surgery and depending on the type of lung cancer you have, you may also be offered neoadjuvant (before) and adjuvant (follow on) treatments, such as targeted therapies or immunotherapies. These treatments aim to reduce the risk of your lung cancer coming back.
For example, people with non-small cell lung cancer who are undergoing surgery and have a high risk of recurrence could be given the immunotherapy, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with platinum-based chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) and then pembrolizumab alone after surgery (adjuvant).
Gordon’s story
Gordon was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer. He had keyhole surgery to remove the tumour and required no further treatment. Eight weeks later, he went on holiday to Spain!
Nick’s story
Nick was diagnosed with stage 3b lung cancer. Despite the cancer having already spread to his lymph nodes, Nick was still able to have curative-intent treatment. He had surgery and chemotherapy and, seven years on, remains cancer free.
When your lung cancer can’t be cured
Unfortunately, for many different reasons, sometimes a person’s lung cancer cannot be cured. This news can be exceptionally difficult to hear.
However, just because lung cancer isn’t curable, doesn’t mean it isn’t treatable.
Treatment options may include:
Being told you have incurable lung cancer is not automatically the same as being told you have a terminal illness. Your lung cancer may be incurable, but, with good treatment and ongoing care, you can lead a relatively normal life.
With improvements in treatment and care, people are not only living longer with lung cancer, but they are also enjoying a better quality of life.
Jane’s story
Jane was diagnosed with stage 3b lung cancer. She was told her cancer was inoperable and, therefore, incurable. Jane had four rounds of chemotherapy and radical radiotherapy which shrunk her tumour enough to then have surgery!
Anne’s story
Anne was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2018. She was told her lung cancer was inoperable and incurable. But then they said the word ‘treatable’ and so Anne chose to focus on that.
Palliative care is not the same as end-of-life care
The word palliative can be very misleading. Often, when someone is told they are to receive palliative care, they believe they are nearing the end of their life.
However, palliative care is the term given to the treatments given to someone whose lung cancer can’t be cured.
Kerrie’s story
When Kerrie was told her lung cancer wasn’t curable, her oncologist arranged for her to have palliative care. Kerrie thought she was ‘off to die’ but she has since learned this is not the case. Palliative care ensures all your needs are met, physically and emotionally.
“I really wish they would use a different name for palliative care.
I remember when my oncologist told the nurse to refer me to the hospice for palliative care. I thought ‘What the hell?! I’m being sent off to die. My whole world just came crashing down at that point. I wasn’t ready for this. I didn’t want to die. There was still too much to do. It didn’t make any sense.
I now know that palliative care is very different to end of life care.”
Whatever your diagnosis, we’re here to help
We are here to support everyone affected by lung cancer. You can contact our Ask the Nurse helpline, even if you don’t know what questions to ask. Our specially trained team is here to listen and explain your options. Call 0800 358 7200 or send us a message.