Chemotherapy is given either by a specialist oncologist, or sometimes by a Respiratory physician with special training and experience in chemotherapy. It is given in courses involving staying in hospital for about 48 hours about every 3 weeks. The number of courses depends on how well the individual patient responds. Chemotherapy has side effects particularly nausea, vomiting and hair loss. However there are very good drugs to control these side effects.
Hair always grows again, about three months after the chemotherapy courses have finished.
Non Small Cell lung cancer is ideally treated by surgery which carries the best chance of cure. If a patient with severe COPD has a lung or part of a lung removed the remaining lung will not cope with the strain, leading either to permanent severe disability or possibly not surviving the surgery. Radiotherapy is eitherradical orpalliative. Radical radiotherapy attempts to cure the cancer. It is only used in highly selected patients who are just not quite fit enough for surgery.