Doctors recommend a screening test to find a disease early, when treatment may work better. The only recommended screening test for lung cancer is low-dose computed tomography (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT). In this test, an X-ray machine scans the body and uses low doses of radiation to make detailed pictures of the lungs. A yearly lung cancer screening is recommended for people who have a history of heavy smoking and smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years and are between 55 and 80 years old. If lung cancer is diagnosed, other tests are done to find out how far it has spread through the lungs, lymph nodes, and the rest of the body. This process is called staging. Lung cancer is treated in several ways, depending on the type of lung cancer and how far it has spread. People with non-small cell lung cancer can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatments. People with small cell lung cancer are usually treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Surgery is an operation where doctors cut out cancer tissue. Chemotherapy is done by using special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins, or sometimes both. Radiation therapy is done by using high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill the cancer and Targeted therapy is done by using drugs to block the growth and spread of cancer cells. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins. Doctors from different specialties often work together to treat lung cancer. Pulmonologists are doctors who are experts in diseases of the lungs. Surgeons are doctors who perform operations. Thoracic surgeons specialize in chest, heart, and lung surgery. Medical oncologists are doctors who treat cancer with medicines. Radiation oncologists are doctors who treat cancers with radiation.
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