Lung Cancer : When you see a new lung cancer patient, what process do you follow to determine oncology treatment options?

When you see a new lung cancer patient, what process do you follow to determine oncology treatment options?

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Topic Tags:

Lung Cancer Process, Lung Cancer Treatment Process, Determining Treatment Options, Cancer Process, Lung Cancer

Topic Tags:

Lung Cancer Process X Lung Cancer Treatment Process X Determining Treatment Options X Cancer Process X Lung Cancer X

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Diseases:

Lung Cancer

Diseases:

Lung Cancer

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Expert Answers

DavidCarboneMDPhD (Physician - Oncology - Hematology/Oncology (Verified) ) - 04 / 25 / 2012

Every patient is different and every tumor is different. The first step is determining what kind of cancer the patient has and where has it spread. The most important first decision is whether there is a possibility of cure, and if so, what is the best option for the patient to achieve that - surgery with or without adjuvant therapy, chemotherapy and radiation, or stereotactic body radiotherapy. If cure is a possibility, then more aggressive and toxic treatments are reasonable than if the goal is prolonging life with cancer rather than curing it. If the cancer is incurable then the most important next step is determining whether the tumor has a mutation in the EGFR or ALK genes. If not then I determine the optimum chemotherapy regimen. At every step I try to determine if there is a clinical trial available.

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