Can small cell lung cancer be cured without surgery?
How does the doctor determine the stage of lung cancer when it is found? The staging will include three sets of letters and numbers. The first two grade the tumor size, the second two indicate the nodal involvement, and the third pair relate to whether or not the tumor has metastasized. Is surgery usually used for lung cancer? Yes, in most cases. The doctor will usually operate if he feels that the entire tumor can be removed or if the operation will remove a portion of the tumor and will help the patient live with the disease better. If the cancer affects only one lobe, it will be removed. If it affects both lobes on the left side or all three lobes on the right side, the whole lung on the involved side may be taken out. If the lymph nodes involved are around the main bronchus and the large blood vessels of the lungs or in the center of the chest, it might be possible to remove all of the malignancy as long as only one lung contains the cancer. The use of surgery and t...