Lung cancer has long been one of the most challenging cancers to treat, but thanks to medical advancements, success stories are becoming increasingly common. I have witnessed firsthand how successful cancer research has been over the years. It has allowed many advancements and innovations to treatment options, and more importantly, it’s transformed patient outcomes.
As an oncologist, there is nothing more satisfying than giving the good news to a patient. Telling them their cancer is cured, or under control, is one of the greatest privileges I have. Innovative treatments such as stereotactic radiotherapy, neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy, and targeted therapies are vastly transforming patient outcomes.
So, what does successful treatment for lung cancer look like? As you can probably imagine, success is very different patient-to-patient. Where one patient’s idea of success is a full cure, another person’s success is treatment that makes them feel more comfortable, and stops their cancer from growing.
Over the years, I’m really proud of the success stories I’ve had in my clinic. Here I share the stories of three of my patients and describe what success meant to them.
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For more information on chemoimmunotherapy for lung cancer, visit: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta876/resources/nivolumab-with-chemotherapy-for-neoadjuvant-treatment-of-resectable-nonsmallcell-lung-cancer-pdf-82613676511429
Learn more about stereotactic radiotherapy for lung cancer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDE7pFX1stA&t=1s