Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) treatment
In lung cancer, Erlotinib (Tarceva) has shown a survival benefit in the treatment of lung cancer in phase III trials. It has been shown to be effective for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that has failed at least one prior chemotherapy regimen. An appeal verdict is currently awaited by NICE.
For more information on Erlotinib goto http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidermal_growth_factor_receptor
Stereotactic Radiotherapy
This is a relatively new type of treatment.
If someone is not fit enough for surgery then this treatment maybe considered. Solitary small lung tumours may be treated with stereotactic radiotherapy. Treatment is delivered to the tumour from many different points.The radiotherapy beam is targeted very accurately with this type of treatment.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
In lung cancer, the disease can spread to the brain. If there is a solitary brain metastasis then this treatment may be possible. This is really another type of stereotactic radiotherapy. The main difference is that you have radiosurgery as a single dose of treatment. Sometimes this treatment is named after one of the machines used to give it – the gamma knife. But this is only one type of machine. You may have radiosurgery using the more common radiotherapy machine, the linear accelerator. The treatment is very high dose.
Specialists don't recommend this type of treatment for medium or large size tumours. It isn't possible to get the same dose of radiotherapy throughout the treatment area with a large tumour. If there are nerves running through the treatment area, they could receive too much radiation and get damaged. This could cause problems such as hearing loss, depending on what the affected nerve is for and where it was.
For more information on Steroetactic Radiosurgery goto http://www.gammaknife.org.uk/
Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
PDT is a treatment for some types of cancer and can be used on occasions to treat lung cancer. It may also be used to treat some non-cancerous conditions of the skin or eye.
PDT uses laser, or other light sources, combined with a light-sensitive drug (sometimes called a photosensitising agent) to destroy cancer cells.
A photosensitising agent is a drug that makes cells more sensitive to light. Once in the body, the drug is attracted to cancer cells. It does not do anything until it is exposed to a particular type of light. When the light is directed at the area of the cancer, the drug is activated and the cancer cells are destroyed. Some healthy, normal cells in the body will also be affected by PDT, although these cells will usually heal after the treatment.
For more information goto http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Othertreatments/Photodynamictherapy
Radiofrequency Ablation
Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation may be used in patients with small early-stage lung cancer for whom surgery is not appropriate or who do not wish to undergo conventional surgery, and for patients with a small number of lung metastases