Treatment Plans | Chemotherapy | Radiation Therapy | Surgery and Recovery | Immunotherapy | Get Support

Before you begin treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), you may have many questions and concerns, including how long NSCLC treatment lasts. The length of treatment for different approaches can vary and may be measured in length of time or number of treatments.

Your doctor and cancer care team will generally be able to tell you how long your specific treatment plan will take, or at least how long a specific phase of treatment is designed to last. A cancer diagnosis can be scary and uncertain. Your team is there to answer your questions and support you through your treatments. Make sure to address any questions or concerns so that you can adhere to the prescribed treatments and get the best results.

NSCLC Treatment Plans

Treatment plans take into account many factors:

• The subtype of NSCLC (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or large cell carcinoma)
• The stage of your cancer
• If your cancer has spread (metastasized) and where
• Your age
• Your overall health

Several treatment options are used to shrink tumors and improve your overall quality of life. Some may take longer than others to work, so it is important to stick with your treatment plan according to your doctor’s advice. Sometimes, these factors change and treatment plans need to be adjusted.

In some cases, your doctor may recommend treatments through clinical trials to give you the best chance for success.

Chemotherapy Treatment Length

Chemotherapy is a systemic (whole-body) treatment for cancer found in the lungs and other parts of the body. It is used at almost any stage of NSCLC.

Chemotherapy Cycles

Chemotherapy treatment is given in cycles. After each treatment or dose, you are given time to rest and recover from the drugs. Cycles typically last three to four weeks, and each drug will have a different schedule. For example, you may receive only one chemotherapy drug on the first day of the cycle, and other medications may be given on multiple days or once every week. Other drugs may be given on days 1 and 8 or days 1, 8, or 15 of a cycle.

Advanced-stage NSCLC is commonly treated with four to six cycles (of three to four weeks each) of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy can also be combined with other drugs to make the treatment more effective overall.

Maintenance Therapy

If the chemotherapy treatment is successful — meaning cancer responds well to treatment or does not progress — you may continue chemotherapy in lower doses as maintenance therapy. Maintenance therapy is usually given until cancer begins progressing or until there are too many unwanted side effects from the drugs. This type of treatment may last years depending on your unique case.

Chemotherapy Before and After Surgery

Chemotherapy can be given before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) or after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy). Before surgery, chemotherapy is used to shrink tumors so they may be removed more easily. After surgery, chemotherapy can be given to kill remaining cancer cells that may have spread before the tumor was removed. Adjuvant chemotherapy helps stop cancer from growing back.

Neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy are typically given for three to four months depending on which chemotherapy medications are used.

Radiation Therapy Treatment Length

Similar to chemotherapy, radiation therapy has many uses in treating NSCLC. However, it is typically best for early-stage cancers that have not spread throughout the lungs or to other parts of the body. There are two types of radiation therapy used to treat NSCLC: external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy.

External Beam Radiation Therapy

External beam radiation therapy uses radiation on the outside of the body focused on the areas where the cancer is located. Most treatments last five to seven weeks, with treatment given five days a week. Each visit takes only a few minutes. However, the exact length of treatment with EBRT depends on the type of radiation therapy you receive and your specific type of cancer.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a specific type of external radiation treatment that can be used when surgery is not an option. SBRT uses several beams of extremely focused, high-dose radiation to target the tumor from different sides. Because the treatment is higher powered, SBRT typically takes only one to five individual treatments.

Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy, also known as internal radiation therapy, is used to shrink tumors in the airways of people with NSCLC. The technique uses small pieces of radioactive material that are inserted into the body near the cancer. The two types of brachytherapy are high-dose-rate brachytherapy and low-dose-rate brachytherapy.

High-dose-rate brachytherapy is an outpatient procedure that does not require a hospital stay. Your doctor will place the radioactive material inside your body for a short time, between two and 20 minutes. Treatment can be repeated once or twice daily for a few weeks.

Low-dose-rate brachytherapy is performed in a hospital where you will stay for the entire procedure. The radioactive material releases a slow, continuous dose of radiation over the course of hours to days.

Surgery and Recovery Length

Surgery is often used to treat early-stage NSCLC that can be easily removed. Depending on the type of lung cancer surgery you have and the methods used, you may spend between five and 10 days in the hospital recovering. After that, you may experience some lingering side effects from surgery, including swelling, pain, and irritation at the incision site. These effects can last for several weeks after surgery.

Targeted Therapy Treatment Length

Targeted therapies are used to treat NSCLC that has a particular genetic mutation or to stop the formation of new blood vessels around the tumor (known as angiogenesis). These drugs are typically combined with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, to shrink tumors.

Targeted therapy treatment varies depending on the specific drug and the subtype and stage of your NSCLC. Many times, drugs such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors work well during the first round of treatment. However, tumors can develop resistance to the drugs and grow back. If this happens, your doctor will prescribe you a different targeted therapy. Targeted therapy drugs may often be taken for several months or more. Talk to your doctor about how long you can expect to take a targeted therapy medication.

Immunotherapy Treatment Length

Immunotherapy drugs help activate your immune system to target and kill tumor cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a subset of immunotherapy used to treat NSCLC. These are human-made, monoclonal antibodies that are given by infusions every two to six weeks. Immunotherapy produces durable responses, which can sometimes even last for years or more, in some people.

Each immunotherapy is given on a different schedule, typically as follows:

• Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) — 30-minute infusion every three to six weeks
• Nivolumab (Opdivo) — 30-minute infusion every two to four weeks
• Cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) — 30-minute infusion every three weeks
• Atezolizumab (Tecentriq) — 30- to 60-minute infusion every three weeks
• Durvalumab (Imfinzi) — 60-minute infusion every two to four weeks

The length of treatment with immunotherapy depends on how well your cancer is responding and your side effects. Some treatments may only last a few months, and others can be continued up to two years. Your doctor will discuss your treatment plan with you, including how long immunotherapy treatment will last.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyLungCancerTeam is the social network for people with lung cancer and their loved ones. Members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with lung cancer.

Have you gone through treatment for non-small cell lung cancer? What can others expect? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on MyLungCancerTeam.