Lung Cancer Treatment

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In 2017 to 2018, 61.9% of stage IIIB or IV non-small cell lung cancer patients aged 20 years and older received chemotherapy.

Summary graph for Lung Cancer Treatment, Click to see detailed view of graph

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Background

Lung cancer forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells that line air passages. The two main types of lung cancer are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is the most common. About 85 percent of lung cancers are NSCLCs.

Primary treatment options for people with NSCLC include surgery, radiation therapy, other local treatments, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies. In many cases, more than one of these treatments is used.

Surgery to remove the tumor presents the greatest chance of curing NSCLC, and is commonly used to treat stages I and II and some stage III cancers but is rarely used to treat stage IV cancers. Postoperative chemotherapy may provide an additional benefit to patients who have undergone surgical removal of NSCLC. Radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy can effectively treat a small number of patients and can provide palliation in most patients.

Measure

Chemotherapy following the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer stages IIIB or IV.

Healthy People 2030 Target

  • There are no Healthy People 2030 targets for cancer treatment, including lung cancer treatment.

Healthy People 2030 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Data Source

SEER Patterns of Care/Quality of Care Studies, National Cancer Institute, 1996-2018.

Trends and Most Recent EstimatesHelp with navigating the graphs and data tables

Chemotherapy

Distribution of patients aged 20 years and older diagnosed with stage IIIB or IV non-small cell lung cancer receiving any chemotherapy by age at diagnosis, 1996-2018
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2017 to 2018)
Percent of patients 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Distribution of patients aged 20 years and older diagnosed with stage IIIB or IV non-small cell lung cancer receiving any chemotherapy  by age at diagnosis, 1996-2018 Ages 20 and olderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 20 and older 61.9 59.9 - 63.8
Ages 20-49Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 20-49 88.6 83.4 - 93.8
Ages 50-59Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 50-59 74.6 70.4 - 78.7
Ages 60-69Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 60-69 62.1 58.7 - 65.4
Ages 70-79Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 70-79 59.2 55.5 - 62.9
Ages 80 and olderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 80 and older 40.6 35.4 - 45.9

Additional Information on Lung Cancer Treatment

Quitting Resources

Year Range

1996-2018

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2010-2018

Summary Tables

Kidney, Lung, Ovarian, Prostate

Recent Summary Trend

Rising

Desired Direction

Rising