For information on the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Options Overview section.
Cryptogenic non-small cell lung cancer
The treatment of occult non-small cell lung cancer depends on the stage of the disease. Occult tumors are often found early (when the tumor occurs only in the lung) and can sometimes be cured surgically.
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (patients being admitted) cancer clinical trials. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. Basic information about clinical trials is also available.
Stage 0
Treatment for stage 0 cancer may include the following:
Surgery (wedge resection or segmental lung resection).
Photodynamic therapy, electrocautery, cryosurgery, or laser surgery for tumors in or near the bronchus.
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (accepting patients) cancer clinical trials. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. Basic information about clinical trials is also available.
Stage I non-small cell lung cancer
Treatment for stage IA non-small cell lung cancer and stage IB non-small cell lung cancer includes:
Surgery (wedge resection, segmental lung resection, sleeve resection, or lobectomy).
external radiation therapy, including body stereotactic radiotherapy for patients who are inoperable or have chosen not to have surgery
Clinical trials of chemotherapy or radiotherapy after surgery.
Clinical trials of treatment via endoscopy, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT)
Clinical trials of chemoprevention after surgery.
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (patient-accepting) cancer clinical trials. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. Basic information about clinical trials is also available.
Stage II non-small cell lung cancer
Treatment for stage IIA non-small cell lung cancer and stage IIB non-small cell lung cancer includes:
Surgery (wedge resection, segmental lung resection, sleeve resection, lobectomy, or total pneumonectomy).
Surgery after chemotherapy
Surgery followed by chemotherapy.
external radiation therapy for inoperable patients
Clinical trials of post-surgical radiation therapy.
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (patients being accepted) clinical trials for cancer. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. You can also get basic information about clinical trials.
Stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer
Treatment for surgically resectable stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:
Post-surgical chemotherapy.
Surgery followed by radiation therapy.
Surgery followed by chemotherapy
Surgery followed by a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Surgery after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Clinical trials of new combinations of treatment options.
Treatment of stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed surgically may include the following:
Concurrent radiotherapy or sequelae radiotherapy.
Extracorporeal radiation therapy alone may be used in patients who cannot be treated with combination therapy or as palliative therapy to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
Internal radiation therapy or laser surgery as palliative treatment for symptom relief and to improve quality of life.
Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, such as dulvumab
Clinical trials of new combinations of treatment options.
For more information about supportive therapies for signs and symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain, see the overview of cardiorespiratory syndrome in PDQ.
Non-small cell lung cancer located in the superior pulmonary sulcus, often called a supraglottic lung tumor, begins in the upper part of the lung and spreads to adjacent tissues, such as the chest wall, large blood vessels, and spine. Treatment of supraglottic lung tumors may include the following:
Radiation therapy alone
Surgery.
Surgery after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Clinical trials of new combinations of treatment options.
Some stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancers that have grown into the chest wall may be completely resected. Treatment of chest wall tumors may include the following:
Surgery.
Surgery and radiation therapy.
Radiotherapy alone.
chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy or surgery, or a combination of all three.
Clinical trials of new combinations of treatment options.
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (accepting patients) cancer clinical trials. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. Basic information about clinical trials is also available.
Stage IIIB and IIIC non-small cell lung cancer
Treatment for stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer and stage IIIC non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:
Chemotherapy followed by external radiation therapy.
Separate chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the same period.
Separate chemotherapy and radiation therapy at the same time with increasing doses of radiation therapy over time.
Separate chemotherapy and radiation therapy administered at the same time. Separate chemotherapy is administered before or after these treatments.
Immunotherapy with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, such as dulvumab, after chemotherapy and radiation
External radiation therapy only for those patients who cannot be treated with chemotherapy.
Extracorporeal radiation therapy as palliative treatment to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life
Laser therapy and/or in vivo radiation therapy is used to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
Clinical trials of new external radiation therapy protocols and novel treatments.
Clinical trials of combined radiotherapy and radiotherapy sensitizers.
Clinical trials of targeted therapies in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
For more information about supportive therapies for signs and symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain, see the PDQ overview below.
Cardiopulmonary syndrome
Cancer pain
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (accepting patients) clinical trials for cancer. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. Basic information about clinical trials is also available.
Newly diagnosed stage IV, recurrent non-small cell lung cancer
Treatment for newly diagnosed stage IV, recurrent non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:
Combination chemotherapy
Chemotherapy in combination with monoclonal antibody-targeted therapy, such as bevacizumab, cetuximab, or nesiritumab.
Combination chemotherapy followed by the use of chemotherapy as maintenance therapy to prevent progression of the cancer.
Targeted therapy using an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, such as osimertinib, gefitinib, erlotinib, or afatinib.
Targeted therapy with mesenchymal lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors, such as erlotinib, crizotinib, ceritinib, brigatinib, or loratinib.
Targeted therapy with BRAF or MEK inhibitors, such as darafenib or trametinib .
Targeted therapy with an NTRK inhibitor, such as larotinib
Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as pablizumab, in combination with or without chemotherapy
Laser therapy and/or in vivo radiation therapy for tumors that block the airway
Extranasal radiation therapy as palliative treatment to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life
Surgery to remove the second primary cancer
Surgery to remove cancer that has spread to the brain, followed by radiation therapy to the whole brain.
The use of stereotactic radiosurgery to treat tumors that have spread to the brain but cannot be treated with surgery.
Clinical trials for new drugs as well as new treatment combinations.
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (patient-accepting) cancer clinical trials. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. Basic information about clinical trials is also available.
Progressive stage IV, recurrent non-small cell lung cancer
Treatment options for progressive stage IV, recurrent non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:
Chemotherapy
Targeted therapy with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as erlotinib, gefitinib, afatinib, or axitinib.
Targeted therapy with mesenchymal lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors, such as crizotinib, ceritinib, erlotinib, or bulgatinib.
Targeted therapy with BRAF or MEK inhibitors, such as darafenib or trametinib .
Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as nabritumomab, pablizumab, and atezumab.
Clinical trials for new drugs as well as new treatment combinations.
Use our Clinical Trials Search to find NCI-supported (accepting patients) cancer clinical trials. You can search for clinical trials based on cancer staging, patient age, and trial location. You can also get basic information about clinical trials.