In the standard treatment of lung cancer, chemotherapy is administered concurrently with what?

In the standard treatment of lung cancer, chemotherapy is often administered concurrently with radiation therapy, a strategy known as chemoradiation. This combination is particularly effective during the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The rationale behind concurrent administration is that the chemotherapy can enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy. The chemotherapy drugs can sensitize cancer cells to radiation, making them more susceptible to the effects that radiation therapy has on tumor cells. This synergy can lead to improved outcomes in terms of tumor shrinkage and overall survival rates.

While surgery, hormonal therapy, and immunotherapy are all components of lung cancer treatment in various contexts, they do not typically occur simultaneously with chemotherapy. Surgery is often a separate procedure performed after initial chemotherapy or radiation to remove remaining cancerous tissue. Hormonal therapy is generally not applicable to lung cancer as it is more relevant to cancers that are sensitive to hormonal levels, such as breast or prostate cancer. Immunotherapy involves using the body's immune system to fight cancer and may be administered at different stages of treatment, but it is not typically combined with chemotherapy in the standard protocol. Thus, concurrent treatment with radiation therapy remains the cornerstone of the standard approach for certain types of lung cancer.