Radiation therapy is a form of high energy x-rays that is used to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Radiation therapy is also used as a primary treatment for lung cancer. It can help to relieve some of the symptoms, like shortness of breath, that result from the disease. At times, radiation therapy is combined with chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy involves the administration of drugs to eliminate cancer cells within the body.
The medications are usually given intravenously. Chemotherapy can be used along with surgery, as a way to kill off any microscopic cells that may remain after surgery, or it can be used to reduce the tumor growth and alleviate symptoms for patients who are not candidates for surgery. Photodynamic therapy involves the injection of a chemical into the bloodstream. The chemical localizes in cancer cells. A laser light directed towards them activates the chemical, which then destroys the cancer cells.