Stage 3A

My 65 year old father-in-la was recently diagnosed with stage 3A lung cancer.....  The tumor is in the top part of the lung by the bronchial??  They cannot operate because of location/lymph node involvement.  They are going to start treatments, but my question is, should it truly be doom and gloom?  The cancer is nowhere else, they lymph nodes are "few" and right by the affected area.  With aggressive treatment aren't his chances good for remission?

[Kamal S Saini, MD, MRCP (UK), DM]

Hi,
There are various effective treatment options available for Stage III lung cancer and it is not always “doom and gloom”. Treatment options include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, targeted therapy and various combinations of these. The optimal combination and sequencing of therapies has not been determined, hence patients are encouraged to be a part of clinical trials. Many new drugs are being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of lung cancer.
All the best, and God Bless!