Lung cancer treatment at GenesisCare

At GenesisCare we diagnose and treat a wide range of cancers, and we understand that this can be a very worrying time. Our lung cancer diagnosis services are first-class, and our commitment is to give you the answers you need, as quickly as possible. It’s important to remember that symptoms can often be caused by other conditions, not lung cancer. Whatever your diagnosis, we can make sure you get the expert care you need, without delay.

If you’re concerned about lung cancer symptoms, we offer specialist lung cancer tests and diagnostics within our centres. Here you’ll see one of our expert consultants who specialise in cancers of the lung. They’ll assess your symptoms and, if necessary, refer you for diagnostic tests such as a CT scan, ultrasound scan, biopsy and bronchoscopy. We know it can be challenging to juggle appointments and normal life, so we’ll do our best to offer an appointment at a time that suits you.

Lung cancer does not always cause symptoms, especially in the early stages. Signs of lung cancer can include:

• Coughing
• Chest infections or pains
• Breathlessness
• Fatigue
• A hoarse voice
• Blood in your phlegm or mucus
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss

These symptoms may be caused by other benign conditions, having one or more of the signs above doesn’t mean you have lung cancer. If you’re concerned about lung cancer, you should talk to your GP, and they can refer you to a pulmonologist if they think it’s needed, or you can book directly with us.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is a modern radiotherapy technique which directs beams of radiation in an arc across the treatment area. Together with surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT), it’s possible to precisely target areas of cancer, adjusting the beam and intensity of the radiation dose to allow for movements in the body and avoid healthy tissues. Side effects of radiotherapy occur when healthy tissues receive radiation, so using this technique helps to limit the dose to tissues and organs surrounding the tumour. At GenesisCare we offer VMAT wherever possible because it is widely recognised to be the highest standard of care currently available for patients needing this type of radiotherapy.

4DCT is a computed tomography (CT) scan used to assess how much your lung tumour moves when you breathe. If the tumour moves less than 1 cm, you can breathe normally while the radiotherapy is delivered. If it moves more than 1 cm during breathing, we’ll use additional techniques, such as deep inspiration breath hold, to reduce tumour movement during treatment to help ensure it’s accurately targeted.

Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) is a technique used when treating lung cancers to help control movements due to breathing and minimise any radiation delivered to healthy tissues during treatment.

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is an advanced radiotherapy technique that uses very focused, high-energy radiation beams to remove tumours in five or fewer sessions – it’s often used instead of surgery.

MRIdian is a new type of machine which delivers SABR. It includes an MR scanner with the radiotherapy machine to take live images so it can see exactly where a tumour is at the same time as treating it, safely avoiding the healthy tissues and organs surrounding it. GenesisCare has the first two MRIdian MR linacs in the UK at our centres in Oxford and Cromwell Hospital in London, and a team of specialists dedicated to treating cancers of the lung, amongst others. Don’t worry if you’re not in the Oxford or London area – we accept referrals from all over the UK and can help our patients with transport depending on treatment and locations. 

The MRIdan can also be used to deliver SABR reirradiation (repeat SABR) to treat lung cancer that has previously been treated with radiotherapy and has since returned. 

Find out more about MRIdian for lung cancer.

We also offer palliative VMAT radiotherapy for those living with advanced lung cancer, where it has spread elsewhere in the body, to improve pain and increase mobility. We understand that fast access to palliative care is paramount and can usually provide treatment within 48 hours of a planning imaging scan.

Side effects: 
No treatment is without side effects. Your doctor will explain these to you before you start your course of radiotherapy, together with the ways your treatment plan and supporting care can help to manage or minimise these.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses cytotoxic (anti-cancer) drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer can be delivered on its own, before or after surgery, or in combination with other treatments including radiotherapy (chemoradiation) and immunotherapy.

Targeted therapy
Targeted (also called biological) therapies are a specialised group of drugs that have been designed to attack or block certain processes in cancer cells that tumours depend on to survive and grow.

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapies work by helping your body’s own immune system to recognise and fight the cancer.

Palliative care 
If your cancer has spread to other parts of the body, it’s called advanced or metastatic lung cancer. At GenesisCare, you can receive palliative drug treatment for advanced lung cancer, to reduce the size and progress of your cancer and ease any symptoms.

Personalised medicine
For some advanced cancers, we use specialist tests, such as liquid biopsy or genomic testing, to understand the genetic make-up of cancer cells. This helps us to identify which drugs are available to work against the particular genetic mutations in a cancer, allowing us to start effective treatment without delay.
There may also be opportunities to access clinical trials for the newest treatments for lung cancer.

Side effects
No treatment is without side effects. Your doctor will explain these to you depending on your drug treatment, together with the ways your treatment plan and supporting care can help to manage or minimise these.

Exercise medicine
Exercise medicine is a personalised programme of carefully planned and supported physical activity has been shown to improve outcomes for cancer patients, by enhancing their quality of life and limiting the impact of cancer, such as by improving strength and reducing fatigue. One of our physiotherapists specialising in exercise for people living with cancer will provide a 12-week programme tailored to you supported by our dedicated GenesisCare Exercise Medicine app. They’ll work closely with you to monitor changes in your health and support you throughout the programme to help you get the best results.

Wellbeing 
We also offer a wellbeing expert and holistic therapies such as counselling, acupuncture, massage and reflexology through our unique partnership with the Penny Brohn UK charity. This service is available to all lung cancer patients at any of our 14 UK centres.

Our dedicated cancer centres are convenient and easy-to-access. You can use your private medical insurance, and we’re recognised by all leading insurers.

We are proud that so many patients rate our care as excellent as we help them through their cancer journey. Find out more about the unique experiences of people who have had their cancer diagnosis or treatment at GenesisCare in our patient stories section.