Lung cancer treatment

Until recently, a diagnosis of lung cancer usually meant a poor prognosis, especially since lung cancer symptoms don’t appear until the disease has progressed. But with new early detection tools and innovative treatment options, survival rates continue to rise.

Across the Chicago area, Advocate Cancer Institute offers some of the region’s leading lung cancer specialists. Together, this dedicated team – including board-certified pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation and medical oncologists, specialized nurses and more – will work with you to create the best possible treatment plan. You may also qualify for cutting-edge cancer clinical trials, right here at home.

We specialize in minimizing pain and side effects, plus access to a full range of cancer support services, so you can focus on healing.

Find an Advocate Cancer Institute near you.

Treatments we offer

Medical therapy

We offer the latest and most effective chemotherapy options, which have shown to improve both the length and quality of life for people with lung cancer of all stages.

Other medical therapies include:

Immunotherapy

Recent FDA-approved drug therapies give people the ability to fight lung cancer using the body’s natural defense mechanism: the immune system. Immunotherapy works by making hidden cancer cells visible to the immune system, allowing white blood cells to fight and kill the cancer. Studies have shown immunotherapy drugs to be well-tolerated with minimal side effects, and when combined with more traditional treatments, have doubled lung cancer survival rates.

Targeted therapy

We now assess lung cancer for genetic alterations that can be targeted with oral (pill) treatments. Gene mutations can be targeted by drug therapy and help us develop a personalized treatment plan to each patient’s tumor. Inhibitors of these growth pathways are like on/off switches and can sometimes be more effective than chemotherapy. Most targeted therapies are oral medications that can be taken at home. They can spare patients of hair loss, nausea, low blood counts or increased risk for infection. They are also more convenient and can enhance quality of life compared to standard treatments.

Radiation therapy

Advocate uses the most advanced radiation therapies available to target lung tumors with extreme precision. Treatments include intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), which focus high-dose radiation directly on the tumor, while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. We also treat lung cancer from the inside with HDR brachytherapy, delivering radiation from small implants located close to the tumor.

Surgery

Surgery is performed to remove the lung tumor, as well as nearby lymph nodes in the chest to check for signs of cancer. It is typically used for early stage lung cancer, when the cancer has not spread, and in some cases, may completely cure the disease.