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Lung Cancer Treatment Options

More than one choice

Tarceva (erlotinib) is a second-line therapy and is one of many treatment options for advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Which treatment approach works best for you depends on several factors. For this reason, your treatment will probably include one or more of the following options included in this section.


Treatment How does it work? When may this treatment be used?
Surgery

Removes the tumor. This can be done if the tumor is small and has not spread to other areas of your body.

You should be in good overall health to have surgery. Surgery can be the first step in your treatment plan. It may be performed in patients with Stage I-III.

Radiation

Uses high-energy x-ray beams to shrink the tumor.

Radiation may destroy cancer cells remaining after surgery. Radiation is frequently used in conjunction with other treatments.

This may be done before surgery to make it easier to remove the tumor. Radiation can also be done after surgery.

This treatment may be used in Stage II-III. However, it can also be used to shrink tumors in advanced NSCLC (Stage IV) to ease pain.

Your overall health may not be good enough for you to have surgery. Or, the cancer may have spread to other areas in your body. If so, radiation treatment may be used instead of surgery.

Chemotherapy

Drugs used to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells.

One or more chemotherapy drugs may be given at a time.

Chemotherapy may be used with radiation to help shrink the tumor before surgery.

It may be used after surgery or radiation to destroy any cancer cells that may have been left behind.

Targeted Therapy

Designed to affect only certain cancer cell activities. Helps slow the tumor growth and destroy cancer cells.

May be used in combination with chemotherapy in first-line treatment or alone in second-line treatment.



Genentech Biooncology (OSI) Oncology

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