What are chances of survival of 70-year-old with small lung cancer?
Patient: as a non smoker i had radiation treatment for mouth cancer and part removal of tongue i am very active and eat well but have lost a lot of weight l was told i was cancer free now im told months later that i need surgery for cancer on lungs the doctors say it is small and treatable im 70 and scared what do i expect to happen Doctor: Hi,Thanks for writing in.A small cancer in the lungs needs to be confirmed and then treated. It is important to first get complete cancer work up done to be sure that the cancer in lung is small cell cancer if still not confirmed.Once it is confirmed then it is important to get it treated by surgery and then get chemotherapy and radiation therapy to kill the left over cells in the lungs. Please do not worry about the surgery. Lung is an accessible part of the body and since your doctor has examined you in detail therefore a surgical decision must not be delayed. There is a good chance of complete recovery and normal survival. Please do not worry.