Lung Cancer: Understanding the Stages

If you or someone you love is facing a diagnosis of lung cancer, you'll want more information on the stages of lung cancer so that you can make informed decisions about care.

What are stages?

The stage of a cancer refers to the extent to which it has spread within the body. Accurate staging of cancer combines two factors...evaluation of a cancer's size as well as whether or not it has metastasized (spread) into lymph nodes or other areas of the body.

Staging is important because it offers valuable information on treatment options and prognosis. Generally, the lower the number in cancer staging, the earlier the cancer was caught and the better your prognosis is. For this reason, some forms of cancer have screening in an effort to catch the cancer more quickly.

See my article on lung cancer screening for information on whether testing for lung cancer before symptoms present may be right for you.

In regards to lung cancer, there are 4 stages.

Stage I - cancer is confined to the lung.

Stage II and III - cancer is confined to the chest cavity. Stage III means that the tumors, while still in the chest cavity, are larger and more invasive (more advanced) than they would be at stage II.

Stage IV - cancer has spread from the chest to other parts of the body including lymph nodes or organs.

Your stage will help determine what treatment options are available to you.

For stages I and II lung cancer, the principle form of treatment is surgery to remove the tumor. If your doctor Is worried about potential spread of the lung cancer even after surgery, they usually recommend radiotherapy (radiation therapy). Radiotherapy can reduce the rate of tumor re-growth in the affected area. However, if you or your loved one are not healthy enough to have the tumor removed, radiotherapy alone is an option to help destroy the tumor tissue.

Stage III lung cancer treatments get more complicated. Patients are usually divided into three groups. The groups are as follows: group one is patients who show abnormal, enlarged lymph nodes on scans. Group two is patients whose lymph nodes appear normal but do contain cancer. Group 3 is patients with tumors and cancerous lymph nodes within the chest cavity, but the tumors are in the uppermost portion of the chest cavity.

Group one is often treated with combination therapy, which involves both radiation and chemotherapy. Concurrent treatment has a better chance of success, but it comes with more side effects.

Group two is often treated with surgery, though sometimes they go through combination therapy prior to their surgery. Clinical trials can be helpful here in offering treatment options.

Group three is not typically eligible for surgery. Combination therapy should be considered for those who have noncancerous effusion (fluid that is free of cancer cells). The doctor and patient should consider the risks and benefits of timing of the therapy, whether sequential or concurrent. Patients with cancerous effusion should consider the benefits of chemotherapy alone compared to no therapy with comfort care.

Stage IV or recurrent lung cancer patients have to determine which options they feel are best for them. Like group three, their options are chemotherapy or no therapy with comfort care. However, patients with stage IV cancer have treatment options in the form of new medications that might prolong their lives, and chemotherapy may help to relieve symptoms in patients who experience significant symptoms from lung cancer.

It is important to talk to your doctor about lung cancer stages if you've been diagnosed, and what your stage means to you and your treatment options. There are other treatment options not adequately covered in this article. Communication is key when it comes to fighting cancer, both during diagnosis and during treatment.

Sources

http://www.medicinenet.com/lung_cancer/article.htm

http://www.oncologychannel.com