Lung cancer

Carcinoma pulmonis · Rakovina plic

What it is

The biggest cancer killer; small-cell and non-small-cell behave very differently.

call 112 / 911 now Coughing up more than a spoonful of blood
call 112 / 911 now Swelling of the face and neck with breathlessness
see a doctor soon Cough or hoarseness lasting over 3 weeks
see a doctor soon Weight loss you can't explain, chest pain or clubbed fingertips

Surgery for early disease trials support
Chemoradiation trials support
Targeted therapy (EGFR, ALK, ROS1, KRAS G12C) trials support
Immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) trials support
Low-dose CT screening of heavy smokers — about 3 deaths prevented per 1 000 screened over six years, with many false alarms and some needless surgery mixed evidence
Tarlatamab (Imdelltra) for small-cell cancer after chemotherapy — FDA-approved 2024
Antibody-drug conjugates, such as trastuzumab deruxtecan for HER2-mutant disease — FDA-approved 2022
Immunotherapy around surgery (nivolumab or pembrolizumab with chemotherapy) — approved 2022–23

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

Mistletoe extract (Iscador) — widely used in Central Europe; better quality of life in some studies, no proven survival benefit mixed evidence
High-dose intravenous vitamin C — active in the laboratory; small trials, no survival benefit shown early / small studies
Fenbendazole ('Joe Tippens protocol') — a dog dewormer with anecdotal cures and laboratory activity; no human trials anecdotal / traditional
Beta-carotene supplements — two large trials found more lung cancer in smokers who took them not confirmed in trials
Metformin alongside EGFR inhibitors — trials disagree mixed evidence