Treatment of recurrent nonsmall cell lung cancer may include the following:

• External radiation therapy as palliative therapy, to relieve pain and other symptoms and improve the quality of life.
• Chemotherapy alone.
• Surgery (for some patients who have a very small amount of cancer that has spread to the brain).
• Laser therapy or internal radiation therapy.
• Radiosurgery (for certain patients who cannot have standard surgery).
• A clinical trial of biologic therapy or other new treatments.

To find out whether the cancer has returned, your doctor may do a physical exam and order lab tests, x-rays, and other tests. If you have a recurrence, you and your doctor will decide on new treatment goals and a new treatment plan.

During follow-up exams, the doctor also checks for other problems, such as side effects from cancer therapy that can arise long after treatment. Checkups help ensure that changes in health are noted and treated if needed. Between scheduled visits, you should contact the doctor if any health problems occur.

Educational information provided by The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Internet site.