Chemo After Lung Cancer Surgery Boosts Survival Rate

DANBURY — A recent international study gives early-stage lung cancer patients more hope in battling their disease. The study shows that giving patients chemotherapy after a lung tumor was removed can help their chances of survival.

Daniel Rueben, MD, of the Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, at Danbury Hospital, discussed the study at a recent Medical Town Meeting sponsored by Danbury Hospital, “Straight Talk About Lung Cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).” Dr Rueben spoke along with John Chronakos, MD, from the hospital’s pulmonary medicine section.

The international trial was the largest study ever on lung caner, according to Dr Rueben, evaluating more than 1,800 patients to see if their survival rate could be improved with adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Those who had chemotherapy had a four percent improvement in survival rate, he said. “While this is a small step, out of 100 people, four people did better with the chemotherapy.”

Trials like these are changing the standard of care in early-stage lung cancer, he said. Treatment used to consist of only surgical removal of the tumor. The trial is also hopeful to patients because other research is also underway to improve their outcome, according to Dr. Rueben.

He advises patients to ask questions and fully understand their diagnosis in lung cancer. Ask about other treatments and options that may be available, and inquire about clinical trials.

Dr Chronakos discussed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious condition that affects more than 12 million people. In COPD, the walls of the airways and the lungs become thick and swollen, making it difficult for a person to breathe.

It is the fourth leading cause of death in this country, according to Dr Chronakos. In most instances, COPD patients were smokers, so the take-home message at the meeting was “Don’t smoke!” Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, he said.

More than 50 million people smoke in the United States, and four million will die of lung cancer each year, according to Marianne Mitchell, RN, coordinator of Danbury Hospital’s “Quit Now” smoking cessation program.

For more information on COPD and lung cancer, or on Danbury Hospital’s “Quit Now” smoking cessation program, visit the website at www.danburyhospital.org.