• If you have NSCLC and can’t have surgery, radiation may be used as part of the main treatment. In this case, it's often given along with chemotherapy.

• After surgery, radiation might be given to help kill any remaining NSCLC cells. You may also get chemotherapy with the radiation therapy.

• If you're going to have surgery for NSCLC, you may get radiation therapy, often along with chemotherapy, before surgery. The goal is to shrink the tumor so it's easier to remove.

• Radiation can be used to treat a single area of cancer spread, such as a tumor in your brain or in an adrenal gland.

• If you have problems caused by NSCLC that has spread to other parts of your body, radiation may help ease these. For instance, radiation can help ease bone pain, trouble swallowing, or nervous system problems. Radiation used in this way is called palliative therapy. It can help you feel better but won’t cure the cancer.

• If you have limited stage SCLC, radiation therapy is often used along with chemotherapy as the main treatment. 

• If you have extensive stage SCLC that responds well to chemotherapy, you may get radiation therapy to the chest. This will help keep the cancer under control for as long as possible. 

• You may get radiation therapy to your head to help keep the cancer from spreading to your brain. This is called prophylactic cranial irradiation. This is more often used for limited stage SCLC. But it can also be used for extensive stage SCLC.

• If you have problems, such as cough, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath, caused by SCLC that has spread to other parts of your body, radiation may help ease these. Radiation used in this way is called palliative therapy. It can help you feel better but won’t cure the cancer.

To plan your entire treatment strategy, you will meet with a team of cancer specialists. This might include a surgeon, radiation oncologist, and medical oncologist.

Before your first radiation treatment, you will have a session to find out exactly where on your body the radiation beam needs to be aimed. The process is called simulation. This session may take up to 2 hours. During this session, you'll lie still on a table while a radiation therapist uses a machine to mark your treatment field. The field is the exact place on your body where the radiation will be aimed. Sometimes it’s called the treatment port. You may have more than one treatment field if you have cancer in more than one place.

The therapist may mark your skin with tiny dots of semi-permanent ink or tiny tattooed dots. The marks help make sure the radiation is aimed at the exact same place each time. You may have imaging tests such as CT scans done during simulation. These help doctors know exactly where the tumor is to better aim the radiation. Also at this session, you may have body molds made. The molds hold you in the exact same position and help keep you from moving during treatment.

On the days you get radiation treatment, you'll lie on a table while the machine moves over and around you. You may have to wear a hospital gown. The treatment is a lot like getting an X-ray, but it takes longer. You should plan on being there for about an hour.

To start treatment, a radiation therapist helps you get in the right position. He or she may also place blocks or special shields over you. These protect parts of your body that don’t need to be exposed to radiation. The therapist then lines up the machine so that radiation is aimed at the spot that was marked during the simulation. When you are ready, the therapist leaves the room and turns the machine on. You may hear whirring or clicking noises while the machine moves and radiation is being given. The machine will not touch you. During treatment, you'll be able to talk to and hear the therapist over an intercom. You can’t feel radiation, so the process will be painless. Also, you won't be radioactive afterward.