Treating Patients with Early Stage Lung Cancer

Corey J. Langer, MD, professor of medicine, hematology/oncology division, University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center, discusses the treatment of patients with early stage lung cancer.

Clinical Pearls

• The major concerns in early stage disease include proper surgical resection and clean proximal nodes
• In patients with N1 or N2 involvement or stage 1 patients with tumors larger than 4 centimeters, standard postoperative care is adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy for 4 cycles
• Patients with early stage lung cancer should undergo reflex testing because the information on marker status can be used later if the patient relapses