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Treatment Options for Superior Sulcus Tumors
Source: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 15, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Context: Treatment of Stage IIIA NSCLC
Treatment options for superior sulcus tumors include:
Surgery.
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Chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery.
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Radiation therapy alone.
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NSCLC of the superior sulcus, frequently termed Pancoast tumors, occurs in less than 5% of patients.[63,64] Superior sulcus tumors usually arise from the apex of the lung and are challenging to treat because of their proximity to structures at the thoracic inlet. At this location, tumors may invade the parietal pleura, chest wall, brachial plexus, subclavian vessels, stellate ganglion, and adjacent vertebral bodies. However, Pancoast tumors are amenable to curative treatment, especially in patients with T3, N0 disease.
Adverse prognostic factors include the presence of mediastinal nodal metastases (N2 disease), spine or subclavian-vessel involvement (T4 disease), and limited resection (R1 or R2).
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