Guide to Lung Cancer Stages

There are two different major types of lung cancer: small cell cancer and non small cell lung cancer. Both of these types have different lung cancer stages and require special attention in order to help with diagnosis and treatment.

Small cell lung cancer and stages
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is normally associated with smokers and is the most rapidly growing and aggressive type of lung cancer. Twenty percent of lung cancer patients suffer from SCLC and about 1% of those patients have SCLC. Because SCLC moves throughout the body so rapidly, most patients are diagnosed after it has spread extensively throughout the body. Since the cancer moves so quickly, there are only two lung cancer stages associated with SCLC.

The first lung cancer stage is the limited stage (LS) and the cancer is confined to where it began within the chest. The second lung cancer stage associated with SCLC is extensive-stage (ES). When a patient is in this lung cancer stage, it is more likely that the cancer has moved to other parts of the body (brain, liver, stomach, etc.).

Non small cell lung cancer and stages
Eighty percent of all lung cancer patients have non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), making it the most common type of lung cancer. There are three different types of NSCLC cancers and they are named after the type of cells that are found in the tumor. They are: adenocarcinomas (which accounts for 50% of NSCLC), squamous cell carcinomas (30% of NSCLC diagnosed), and large cell carcinomas (20%). Adenocarcinomas is associated with both smokers and non-smokers, and are found on the outside areas of the lungs. Squamous cell carcinomas are normally found in the bronchi of the central chest area. The least common type of NSCLC is large cell carcinomas and the growth of these tumors is usually uncontrolled.

Non small cell lung cancer has four different stages, with each stage increasing in seriousness and decreasing with chances of remission. The first lung cancer stage is simply called stage I and like the limited stage of SCLC, the cancer's existence is restricted to the lung only. Stages II and III of the four lung cancer stages are very similar with the exception of tumor size. Lung cancer in stage II is slightly smaller than stage III and can possibly be removed without danger of it spreading to other parts of the body. Lung cancer stage III has much larger tumors within the chest and they are considered to be more invasive. The extensive-stage of lung cancer (SCLC) and stage IV (NSCLC) mirror each other because in both cases the lung cancer has begun to move outward from the chest area and invade other parts of the body.

Why lung cancer stages are important
There are several different treatments of lung cancer available to patients and the lung cancer stages help indicate how the patient should go about treating their cancer. Surgery is one of the more common treatments of lung cancer and basically removes the tumor within the body. Surgical removal of tumors are most effective between lung cancer stages I/limited-stage and II simply because the tumor has yet to move beyond the lung and chest area. Small cell lung cancer and non small cell lung cancer stage IV patients find that chemotherapy is more effective in eliminating cancer cells in their body because the tumors are more pronounced and widespread within the body.

Brain prophylactic radiation more than likely is not an option for NSCLC patients. Small cell lung cancer patients usually, as in my father's case, experience the chilling fact that the cancer has spread throughout the brain. During this lung cancer stage (extensive-stage) of SCLC; patients are not a candidate for traditional surgery because of the delicate nature of the brain and will profit more from brain prophylactic radiation.

My father died from extensive-stage small cell lung cancer on December 3^rd, 1999. He was unfortunately afraid of the doctor and wasn't diagnosed until October 29^th, 1999. By this time, the cancer had already spread to his brain, liver, kidneys, and blood and he opted for extreme chemotherapy to rid himself of the cancer in his body. Unfortunately, the lung cancer was so advanced that he died less than twelve hours after his first chemotherapy appointment. Had he gone in to have himself tested years before, he probably would have avoided the more deadly lung cancer stage and be here with his family.

Please consult your doctor before making any diagnosis or decisions on the type of treatment for lung cancer.
For more information on lung cancer and lung cancer stages, please visit the following websites:Aetna InteliHealth　
www.Cancer.gov
CancerHelpt (United Kingdom)
MedicineNet
OncologyChannel
WebMD