Treatment of Stage IIIB and Stage IIIC Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

Treatment of stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer and stage IIIC non-small cell lung cancer may include the following:

• Chemotherapy followed by external radiation therapy.
• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy given over the same period of time. The radiation therapy dose may increase over time.
• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy given over the same period of time. Immunotherapy with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, such as durvalumab, may be given before or after these treatments.
• External radiation therapy alone for patients who cannot be treated with chemotherapy.
• External radiation therapy as palliative therapy, to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.
• Laser therapy and/or internal radiation therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.
• Clinical trials of new external radiation therapy schedules and new types of treatment.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy and radiation therapy combined with a radiosensitizer.
• Clinical trials of targeted therapy combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

For more information about supportive care for signs and symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain, see the following PDQ summaries:

• Cardiopulmonary Syndromes
• Cancer Pain

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.