Why We Combine Chemotherapy and Radiation for Lung Cancer

This video explains that the standard treatment for advanced lung cancer patients who can't have surgery is radiation therapy with chemotherapy combined. The standard treatment is six weeks long with radiation given Monday through Friday and chemotherapy scheduled depending on the specific drugs used. Research has shown that adding chemotherapy before starting radiation improves survival, but the best results are achieved when chemotherapy and radiation therapy are given at the same time. However, there are side effects associated with this treatment, including fatigue, lung and esophagus inflammation, and a remote chance of lung scarring or cardiac injury.