What Are The Stages Of Lung Cancer?

What Are The Stages Of Lung Cancer?
by Gray Rollins

Once a diagnosis of lung cancer has been made, the doctor will attempt to determine the stage the lung cancer is at. The staging system is somewhat like a measurement system, with the numbers indicating: whether the cancerous tumors are localized or whether the tumors have spread to other parts of the body; the tumor's size; and whether or not the tumors have spread to the lymph nodes. There are four main stages of lung cancer (Stages 1 - 4) and identification of one of the stages is what helps doctors prescribe an appropriate treatment method.

Different Cancer, Different Stages of Lung Cancer

The staging system is a bit more complicated than simply assigning a number. First of all, the stage numbering system differs slightly depending on whether the lung cancer has been diagnosed as small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common form and it progresses more slowly than the other type. Non-small lung cancer can be broken down into 4 stages. Stage 1 means that the tumor is local; it has not spread to the lymph nodes. Adding the letter A or B to the stage 1 classification indicates the size of the tumor ("A" means it is less than 3 cm across) and whether it's larger and growing in a sensitive area ("B"). Stage 2 means the tumor has spread into lymph nodes or the chest wall. Again, an "A" and "B" designation determines the size and the location of the tumor. Stage 3 is more complicated and can mean several things. For example, it can indicate that the tumor has spread, but it's still only affecting one side of the lung, or that tumors have spread to other nearby body parts such as the chest wall, or that fluid is collecting in the lungs. Stage 4 is of course the worst stage and means that cancerous tumors have spread into a whole other part of the body like the pelvis or liver.

Small-Cell Cancer

In cases of small-cell cancer, there are two stages of lung cancer - Stage 1 and Stage 2. These stages are used to designate whether the cancerous cells are limited in number or whether there exists an extensive amount that have invaded the chest and other parts of the body. When they're limited in number, patients have a good chance of receiving effective treatment and possibly even resuming a near normal life. An extensive amount however, means treatment options are very limited.

The Staging Challenge

Although the stages of lung cancer seem well-defined, categorizing a person's cancer into one of these stages is often challenging. Each case of cancer involves so many different factors and the combination of factors can be interpreted in many different ways by different doctors. Proper diagnosis and classification takes time and may take several rounds of testing. CT scans, MRIs, blood tests, bone scans and even testing the pleural effusion (if present) may all be needed.

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Gray Rollins is a featured writer for LifeLungCancer.com. To learn more about lung cancer treatment and the stages of lung cancer, visit our site.

Lung Cancer: The Bad and the Worse There are two major types of lung cancer. One is the Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) mentioned in the previous paragraph. The other is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer has three subtypes: Adenocarcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Large Cell Undifferentiated Carcinoma. NSCLC is the least "serious" of the two types. In fact, if it is detected early, it is possible that it can be cured with surgery.

Save Yourself From Lung Cancer Three common types of non-small cell lung cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common non-small cell lung cancer. Adenocarcinoma, the primary cause of this non-small cell lung cancer is still a challenge to medical experts. Thus, experts continue to study the major cause of this cancer.

Common Causes of Lung Cancer There are a various risk factors that are linked to lung cancer. The most common known causes are as follows: Cigarette Smoking, Secondhand Smoke, Asbestos Exposure, Radon Gas and Air Pollution

What Are The Stages Of Lung Cancer? Once a diagnosis of lung cancer has been made, the doctor will attempt to determine the stage the lung cancer is at. The staging system is somewhat like a measurement system, with the numbers indicating: whether the cancerous tumors are localized or whether the tumors have spread to other parts of the body; the tumor's size; and whether or not the tumors have spread to the lymph nodes. There are four main stages of lung cancer (Stages 1 - 4) and identification of one of the stages is what helps doctors prescribe an appropriate treatment method.

Steps To Preventing Lung Cancer Did you realize that approximately 10% of lung cancer patients have never in their lives smoked cigarettes? When asked about lung cancer prevention, most people will tell you that the easiest way to prevent lung cancer is to never take up the dangerous habit of cigarette smoking. And while it's true that smoking often leads to lung cancer, the fact that 10% of lung cancer patients are not now nor have ever been smokers cannot be easily explained.

How Smoking Increases The Risk Of Lung Cancer With so many dangers associated with smoking, especially the correlation between smoking and the development of lung cancer, it is amazing to see how many people continue to voluntarily take part in this activity! Why is it that these mostly mature, reasonably intelligent men and women of every nationality allow such a small object to have so much control over their lives? You'd think it would be easy to just say "NO" to this tiny little death machine, but in reality it just isn't so.

Lung Cancer Symptoms, What You Need To Know. Because lung cancer symptoms do not manifest until it is already on its advanced stage, minor lung cancer symptoms are often ignored. This is because minor lung cancer symptom such as frequent coughing is often associated with itchiness in the throat. Smokers believe that this is an ordinary occurrence among smokers, thus they are not alarmed until they feel more severe lung cancer symptoms.