Lung cancer therapies

Forms of Lung Cancer Treatment at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

A wide range of effective forms of treatment for common and rare lung malignancies are available through the UC Davis Thoracic Oncology Program. FDA-approved and investigational approaches available to UC Davis lung cancer patient include:

  • Chemotherapy, the use of drugs to stop cancer cells from dividing or to kill them. Chemotherapy drugs generally are given to patients through infusion — injection through a drip line into the bloodstream — at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.
  • Molecular targeted therapy, new types of medications that attack and disrupt genes, proteins and other molecules that are involved in the growth, spread and survival of cancer cells. These drugs include oral inhibitors that suppress the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) for lung cancer, and anti-angiogenic agents for treatment of mesothelioma.
  • Immunotherapy, which harnesses and activates the body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.
  • Radiation therapy to destroy cancerous tumors. Our Thoracic Oncology Program specializes in combined modality therapy to hit cancer hard using chemotherapy together with chest radiation — either with or without surgery.
  • Surgery performed at either the UC Davis Medical Center's main hospital or the outpatient University Surgery Center. Many tumors can be completely removed by surgery, depending on the stage of cancer and other individual patient characteristics. Eighty percent of our surgeries for early stage lung cancer are performed via small incisions and using high-definition 3D cameras, either by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or robotic surgery. The mean length of stay in the hospital after robotic lung cancer surgery is two days. More than 20% of patients go home after one day.