Frequently Asked Questions about Lung Cancer
In recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Massachusetts General Hospital physicians answer common questions related to lung cancer.
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At the Center for Thoracic Cancers, our multidisciplinary team of lung cancer specialists put together a comprehensive treatment plan just for you. Many lung patients benefit from our approach. You will see lung cancer specialists from medical oncology, radiation oncology and surgery. We:
Patients are seen within one week of referral. Urgent within 1-2 days.
The Center for Thoracic Cancers is among the first in the nation to provide new targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer. Consistently recognized as one of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report, we provide promising new therapies and innovative approaches to clinical care, including:
Learn about the signs, symptoms and causes of lung cancer
All members of our team of pathologists and radiologists are nationally recognized for their expertise. Our pathologists participate in weekly tumor board meetings, sharing information about each patient’s unique cancer with the entire team to help guide care planning. Our radiologists use the most advanced imaging tools to diagnose and stage thoracic cancers and to detect changes in tumors. Our imaging methods include:
Our minimally invasive image-guided procedures for diagnosis include:
Cancer Early Detection and Diagnostics Clinic
The Cancer Early Detection and Diagnostics Clinic at Mass General Cancer Center provides patients with comprehensive cancer diagnosis in one location, bridging the gap between clinical care and research in cancer early detection.
Chemotherapy (or chemo) is a group of medications given through an IV that are used to target and stop the growth of cancer cells. Depending on your lung cancer diagnosis, our team of experts might recommend chemo:
Your multidisciplinary care team will develop a personalized treatment plan based on your needs and goals. They will support and guide you through every step of receiving chemo for lung cancer. Learn more about chemotherapy for lung cancer.
Our team of dedicated surgeons treats some of the most challenging and complex cases from across the US. We focus only on thoracic surgery and have pioneered many now-standard procedures used to treat thoracic cancers. The team provides state-of-the-art evaluation, treatment and post-surgical services, including:
We offer many minimally diagnostic procedures, such as:
Learn more about Mass General's Lung Cancer Surgery Program.
Specialists in the Thoracic Radiation Oncology Program employ high-precision radiation therapy to treat patients with lung cancers and other cancers in the chest with the overarching goal of causing little or no side effects. Pioneering technological advances for the benefit of our patients include:
Our radiation oncologists are part of a highly specialized multidisciplinary team that closely coordinates the care of each patient. Cutting-edge research aims at increasing the efficacy and reducing the side effects of radiation therapy as well as integrating radiation with revolutionizing biological drug therapies.
For more information, please see the Thoracic Radiation Oncology Program.
Small cell lung cancer is commonly treated with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Early-stage non-small cell lung cancer may involve surgery to remove the tumors, or other therapies like immunotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and thermal ablation.
Metastatic lung cancer is lung cancer that has spread to other areas of the body. Metastatic lung cancer treatment typically aims to minimize symptoms, improve quality of life, and help patients live longer. This might be achieved through chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
Learn about Mass General Cancer Center’s Palliative Care services for patients and families.
Clinical trials are research studies which are conducted to answer questions. They can test many things including new drugs, new combinations of drugs, or already approved drugs being studied to treat patients in new or different ways. They may include new drug doses or new ways (schedules) to give the drugs. Clinical trials are run under strict guidelines with specific criteria for eligibility and treatment. Their purpose is to help find out whether new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard (current) treatment.
Our program has a very active clinical research portfolio with the latest, top-notch investigational studies covering a wide spectrum of thoracic cancer care. The ultimate goal of clinical research is to improve the outcomes for all of our patients. If you are eligible for a clinical trial, your physician will offer you the chance for participation. We will comprehensively review the logistics and purpose of the trial and also offer alternatives including the standard of care.
Find Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer.
Our team approach ensures that every patient benefits from a personalized, coordinated and compassionate treatment plan that includes leading lung cancer experts across many specialties. Members of your care team meet regularly with you and contact your referring physician on an ongoing basis to ensure clear communication and a seamless coordination of care.
Cancer that begins in any part of the lungs is called lung cancer. The two basic types of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Learn about the signs, symptoms and causes of lung cancer.
This clinic provides patients with comprehensive cancer diagnosis in one location.
We use low-dose CT scans to screen for lung cancer among high-risk people.
We work with patients to develop personalized follow-up care following review of CT scans.
A free, phone-based, one-on-one tobacco counseling resource for Cancer Center patients.
Learn more about Mass General's Thoracic Radiation Oncology Program.
Learn about Mass General's Lung Cancer Surgery Program.
Learn more about Mass General's Lung Thermal Ablation Program.
This community strives to expand support & improve quality of life for lung cancer pts.
This program helps patients keep their hair or reduce how much hair they lose from chemo.
We offer a variety of education and support resources to help you and your family.
These stories highlight the strength, courage and resiliency of our patients, and the coordinated effort of the thoracic oncology team to provide the best possible care.
Flora McCoy-Greene
After a diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer, Flora McCoy-Greene sought the latest treatment from an integrated cancer care team at Mass General.
Ann Malik
Targeted therapy and world-class care at Mass General Cancer Center has given Ann Malik a new lease on life and a passion for inspiring others. Read more about her journey with ROS1-positive lung cancer.
Kelley Jones
“Being positive for BRCA1, I had prepared myself for breast or ovarian cancer, but lung cancer was never on my radar. My biggest takeaway is if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer.”
How is early-stage cancer detected? How do we treat cancer today? Lecia Sequist, MD, MPH, thoracic oncologist and director of the Center for Innovation in Early Cancer Detection, explains how detecting cancer at its earliest stages increases the chance of a successful treatment.
Learn more about Sybil, a deep learning model built by MIT Jameel Clinic and Mass General Brigham researchers that accurately predicts lung cancer risk up to 6 years in advance and is transforming the future of lung cancer screening.
Lecia Sequist, MD, MPH explains how detecting cancer at its earliest stages increases the chance of a successful treatment.
Mass General has the only proton therapy site in all of New England, with two proton therapy centers.
Our support programs can help patients and their families cope with the challenges of a cancer diagnosis.
In recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Massachusetts General Hospital physicians answer common questions related to lung cancer.
Learn how Mass General Cancer Center is working to bridge the gap between clinical care and research in cancer early detection, and hear about the Fire Health Study, a partnership with the Boston Fire Department to help screen firefighters for cancer.
In this large-scale comparative effectiveness trial, researchers demonstrated the equivalence of delivering early palliative care via video versus in-person visits on quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer.
A study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham has found that an individualized cancer therapy tailored to the unique tumor profiles of patients with melanoma and lung cancer was well-tolerated and boosted immune activity.
Targeted therapies induced tumor expression of the APOBEC3A protein, which was shown to directly cause new mutations and accelerate the development of drug resistance.
Using information from a single low-dose chest computed tomography scan, ‘Sybil’ accurately predicted individuals’ lung cancer risk for one to six years in the future, pointing a way toward personalized screening.
In recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Massachusetts General Hospital physicians answer common questions related to lung cancer.
Learn how Mass General Cancer Center is working to bridge the gap between clinical care and research in cancer early detection, and hear about the Fire Health Study, a partnership with the Boston Fire Department to help screen firefighters for cancer.
In this large-scale comparative effectiveness trial, researchers demonstrated the equivalence of delivering early palliative care via video versus in-person visits on quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer.
A study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham has found that an individualized cancer therapy tailored to the unique tumor profiles of patients with melanoma and lung cancer was well-tolerated and boosted immune activity.
Contact us to make an appointment or to learn more about our programs.