Have you recently been diagnosed with lung cancer? The first two questions you’ll probably ask your doctor are: “How do we treat it?” and “How successful will the treatment be?” This second question is really about prognosis. You want to know how long you’ll live and what your quality of life will be during and after treatment.
Many things affect prognosis following a cancer diagnosis. In general, the earlier you catch the cancer, the easier it is to treat, and the better you can expect to do. Your age and general health are also important factors. If you are old and frail, or have other serious medical conditions, it may affect your prognosis.
When doctors talk about cancer survival rates, you’ll often hear them use the term five-year survival rate. This describes the percent of people with a certain type of cancer who are still alive five years after their cancer diagnosis. However, five-year survival rate depends, in part, on the timing of diagnosis. In other words, people with cancer may just be living longer with a cancer diagnosis, not necessarily living longer because they were diagnosed (and therefore treated) earlier.
[See: 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Lung Cancer.]
Improving Your Odds
Catch it early. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (a volunteer panel of health experts) recommends annual screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT scanning) for adults 55 to 80 who have a 30-pack-a-year smoking history and currently smoke, or who quit smoking within the past 15 years. You can calculate your pack years by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes you smoked daily by the number of years you smoked.
Screening may find lung cancer early, when it’s more treatable. “There is a 20 percent reduction in deaths in high-risk people who get low-dose spiral CT screening,” says Dr. David Carbone, medical oncologist and director of the Thoracic Oncology Center at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. “This is as great as seen by breast or colon cancer screening.” According to the National Cancer Institute, this 15 to 20 percent reduction equates to three fewer deaths per 1,000 people screened with CT scan (versus chest X-ray) over seven years.
Lung cancer screening does have potential downsides, such as false positives. “It is so sensitive, 30 percent of people screened have stuff [on the scan] that is not cancer, but is worrisome enough [it warrants] follow up scans and maybe unnecessary surgery,” says Dr. Abraham Chachoua, associate director of cancer services at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center.
If you are, or were, a heavy smoker, talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of lung cancer screening.
[See: What Not to Say to Someone With Lung Cancer.]
Quit smoking. Not everyone who smokes develops cancer, of course, but smokers are at significantly higher risks for lung (and other) cancers. Quitting smoking, even if it’s when you receive a diagnosis of lung cancer, can help you survive longer and have a better prognosis.
Consider a clinical trial. New drugs and medical procedures go through a multi-staged testing process to assess their effectiveness and safety before the Food and Drug Administration approves them for widespread use. If you have cancer, you may qualify to participate in a medical study called a clinical trial to evaluate a potential new treatment. Ask your oncologist if there’s a clinical trial that’s a good fit for you.
Find a doctor who has experience treating lung cancer. Your best bet is to seek treatment by an oncologist who knows you, Chachoua says. “There are nuances in diseases. Not every patient is the same.” Carbone says patients should have a battery of molecular tests at the time of diagnosis to match the treatment to the patient. Not all eligible patients are getting these genetic tests, he says.
[See: 7 Innovations in Cancer Therapy.]
Advances in Treatment Are Improving Patients’ Prognosis
Carbone says advances in robotics and minimally invasive surgery are helping patients live longer following a lung cancer diagnosis. For example, a very precise and efficient type of radiation therapy called stereotactic body radiation therapy is helping some patients more than conventional radiation therapy. “[SBRT] is highly effective at curing small lesions. It’s a non-invasive approach.” These and other treatment options are providing dramatic improvements with less toxicity, Carbone says, even for patients with advanced stage lung cancer.
Oncologists are also learning how to analyze the genetic makeup of cancers. “Certain subsets of genes are very strong drivers of cancers,” Carbone says. “[New] drugs can turn off the genes that are turned on in these patients.” He adds that the average survival now in some cases of metastasized lung tumors (cancers that have spread) is approaching five or more years.
More from U.S. News
7 Things You Didn’t Know About Lung Cancer
What Not to Say to Someone With Lung Cancer
7 Innovations in Cancer Therapy
Lung Cancer Survival and Prognosis originally appeared on usnews.com
