Radiation in Addition to Chemotherapy Benefits Advanced Lung Cancer Patients

Recent research conducted at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that when given both radiation and chemotherapy treatment at the same time, stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer patients lived longer than with other treatments. Patients with advanced lung cancer are usually treated with radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of the two. In most cases, surgery is not an option for these stage 3 lung cancer patients because of the size of the tumor. The study found that when treated with both radiation and chemotherapy at the same time, patients with advanced lung cancer lived almost 16 months, on average, after being diagnosed. When treated with radiation alone, patients survived an average of 7 months after diagnosis. Patients that received chemotherapy after radiation lived almost 15 months, on average.

The study also looked at survival rates for these patients with advanced lung cancer five years after diagnosis. Researchers found that almost 20 percent of the patients treated simultaneously with radiation and chemotherapy were still alive five years after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Of the patients treated with radiation before chemotherapy, only about 7.5 percent were alive five years later. The study, which was published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics suggests that combining chemotherapy and radiation treatments in the correct amounts for the specific patient may help them live longer. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 215,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung tumors in 2009. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosis or treatment of cancer, our cancer malpractice attorneys can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today, or submit an instant inquiry now and we will respond within 24 hours. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Queens cancer malpractice, Long Island cancer malpractice and Manhattan cancer malpractice cases.

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