Does targeted therapy treat non-small cell lung cancer?

Non-small cell lung cancer is not one identical disease. Cancer cells can carry different changes that help them grow. A biopsy or another tumour sample may be examined for these changes, and the result helps the oncology team decide whether a matched treatment is suitable.

Targeted medicines act on a particular protein or pathway linked to the cancer change. They may be used when disease has spread, returned, or cannot be treated adequately with surgery or radiotherapy. The choice depends on the cancer subtype, test result, previous treatment, general health, and the medicine's expected effects.

Ask whether your pathology report includes molecular or biomarker testing and which result is relevant to treatment. If a target is found, ask about the proposed medicine, how it is taken, monitoring visits, and what symptoms should be reported. Keep a list of medicines and supplements because some can change how an oral targeted medicine works.

Treatment may be adjusted if scans, symptoms, or side effects show that the plan needs changing. Do not stop a prescribed cancer medicine without speaking with your oncology team.

Contact your oncology team promptly for new or worsening breathlessness, chest pain, fever, severe diarrhoea, persistent vomiting, unusual bleeding, or a widespread rash. Seek emergency help for severe difficulty breathing, confusion, fainting, or sudden weakness. The team may need to assess whether a symptom is related to treatment, infection, or the cancer itself.

Which genetic changes were tested, and what did the results show? Is a targeted medicine appropriate now, and what is the goal of treatment? How will you check whether it is working? Which side effects need a same-day call, and who should I contact outside clinic hours?