What Is the Prognosis and Outlook for Someone With Lung Cancer?

Major clinical trials are underway to develop better lung cancer treatments. A variety of new chemotherapy drugs have become available, and chemotherapy is proving more effective in treating lung cancer and improving the quality of life for patients diagnosed with lung cancer.

Early detection and treatment are critical factors in the fight against lung cancer. The average survival rate is 49 percent for those whose cancer is detected early, before it spreads from the lung. Unfortunately, only about 15 percent of lung cancers are found in the earliest stage.

The overall cure rate for lung cancer has doubled over the last 30 years. The one-year survival rate for lung cancer increased from 34 percent in 1975 to 42 percent. The five-year survival rate for all stages is only 15 percent. However, the survival rate is 49 percent when the disease is still localized.

Some of the most promising research findings related to lung cancer include:

Specific oncogenes (abnormal genes associated with tumors) have been found in some lung cancer cells. It is hoped that an oncogene test may soon be invented that will assist in planning lung cancer treatment. Ultimately, researchers hope to develop drugs that "turn off" oncogenes, ending cancer growth.

New studies have provided evidence of tumor markers within an individual's genetic makeup that are related to a person's risk for developing lung cancer. This finding may help in screening people who are at increased risk of lung cancer.

Drugs that recognize only lung cancer cells have been developed. These drugs include erlotinib (Tarcevaź), which targets a specific molecule (EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor) that is overproduced on the surface of the lung cancer cells. Tarceva has been shown to be effective in treating lung cancer and has been approved by the FDA for this indication.

Another way could be stimulation of the immune system by using naturally occurring substances such as interferon and interlukin-2. These substances have shown some promise in treating other forms of cancer and may be helpful in treating lung cancer. This year an estimated 174,470 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed and an estimated 167,050 people will die from lung cancer in the United States.

Presently the best weapon against lung cancer is to avoid smoking. Eighty-seven percent of all lung cancer cases in the United States are smoking-related. Men who smoke increase their risk of dying from lung cancer by more than 22 times and women by nearly 12 times. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths.

Related Articles Treatment Options for Those Diagnosed With Lung Cancer How Is Lung Cancer Diagnosed? What Are the Signs and Symptoms Associated With Lung Cancer? What Are the Risk Factors for Developing Lung Cancer? What Is Lung Cancer and How Prevalent Is it? Emphysema Life After Cancer: Your Survivorship Plan

External Sources American Lung Association, Facts About Lung Cancer. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2003, Atlanta, GA. Dollinger M, Rosenbaum, EH, Tempero M., et al. Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, Fourth Edition, Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002.

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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