Dr. Mason on Standard Treatment Approaches in Stage III NSCLC

David P. Mason, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and lung transplantation, Baylor Scott & White Healthcare System, chief of lung transplantation, Baylor University Medical Center, discusses standard treatment approaches available for patients with stage III non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

There are 2 treatment approaches for patients with stage III NSCLC, explains Mason: one is chemotherapy and radiation and the other is chemotherapy and radiation with the addition of surgery. It's hard to compare the 2 approaches because the patients who are selected for each approach often have different clinical characteristics, says Mason. Typically, the patients who are selected for surgery are more fit and may have more localized disease; they may also be more motivated to have surgery, he adds.

There have been few randomized trials comparing the 2 treatment interventions, and the few that have been done have not shown a big difference in the overall outcomes. However, in selected patients, surgery may confer a survival advantage, Mason concludes.