Metastatic Lung Cancer Treatment

When lung cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is considered metastatic lung cancer. Metastases may develop in multiple organs and can show up as multiple tumors or lesions. Lung cancer metastasized to other locations of the lung is diagnosed in about 50 percent of people who have a metastasis. Metastatic lung cancer in the brain happens in 50 percent of cases. In addition, lung cancer can metastasize to the liver, in about 30 percent of cases, and in the adrenal gland in 30 percent of cases.

The UF Health Metastatic Cancer Program’s integrated strategy offers comprehensive treatment through an aggressive new approach, working collaboratively with a patient’s existing medical oncologist and in tandem with standard chemotherapy.

The best chance at managing metastatic lung cancer is to act at the first sign of symptoms or immediately upon diagnosis. The UF Health Metastatic Cancer Program treats patients who have 10 or fewer new lesions and whose primary tumor is controlled or inactive or when the primary disease can be treated with SBRT.

Our method for treating cancer uses a targeted type of radiation called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to pinpoint the metastatic lesions and destroy them on contact. Because SBRT has the ability to eliminate tumors with less damage to healthy tissue and a more comfortable recovery time than other methods for removal, it is particularly beneficial for patients who are not candidates for surgery.

Because every patient is different, our multidisciplinary team of physicians carefully reviews each case to determine the most effective treatment plan.

Additional therapies at the UF Health Metastatic Cancer Program include:

• Tumor immune therapy
• Tumor vaccine therapy
• Tumor anti-vascular therapy
• Surgery
• Interventional pulmonology
• Interventional radiology procedures
• Chemotherapy