Stages of lung cancer
Lung cancer forms one of the major causes of death among cancer cases, ever year as many as 1.2 million people die all over the world because of lung cancer. The main cause of lung cancer is smoking, however it can even occur in people who have never smoked which can be attributed to inhaled cancer causing agents. There are basically two types of lung cancers as per the size and appearance: Non-small cell lung cancer Small cell lung cancer The stages of lung cancer Knowing the stage of lung cancer or for that matter any cancer is very important for determining the type of treatment that should be carried out on the patient. The stages of cancer describes the size of the tumor and whether the cancer is restricted to the lymph node or has spread in other parts of the body also. The cancer is described into four different stages depending on the progression of the disease. Let us see the different stages of lung cancer:
The non-small cell lung cancer: This stages of lung cancer can be divide into four stages. Stage I: In this stage the cancer is localised i.e. it is restricted in a definite srea. The lymph nodes are still not affected in this stage. This stage is further divided into IA and IB. sdg IA: In this the size of the tumor is 3cm or less in diameter. The five year survival rate for this stage is between 70-80% IB: In this the tumor is larger and has started developing in the main air tract of the lung. This stage includes cancers that are developing on the inner lung lining or have resulted in the partial degradation of the lung that has been affected. The fiver year survival rate for this stage is 50%. Stage II: This stage is also divided into IIA and IIB. IIA: This stage describes the cancer that has spread into the lymph nodes but is still small in size. IIB: This describes lung cancer that has grown to a size more than 3cms in size and has spread in the lymph nodes that is near the affected lungs OR the cancer has not spread in the lymph nodes but has affected the chest wall, the muscles below the cavity of the chest, the outer covering of the lung or the outer areas of the heart. The five-year survival rate for this stage of lung cancer is 30%. Stage III: This is also divided into stages IIIA and IIIB. IIIA: This stage can be a result of two things.
The first is that the cancer is found to be present in nodes that are quite away from the lung that is affected but on the same side of the chest. The second
that the cancer is found in the lymph nodes near the affected lung but has also spread to the covering of the lung, the chest wall or the middle of the chest. IIIB: This stage signifies four main things: The first that the cancer would have spread on the other side of the nodes of the chest or to the nodes above the collarbone. The second that there is more than one tumor found in the lung that is affected. The third that the tumor would have grown into another main area of the chest like the heart, the gullet or the windpipe or any one of the main blood vessels. The fourth that there is fluid accumulation around the lung which also contains cancer cells called as the pleura effusion. The five-year survival rate for this stage is 5-15%. Stage IV This signifies that the cancer has spread to a different lobe of the lung and is spreading to the other body part like the bones or liver. The five-year survival rate for this stage is less than 2%. Stages in small cell stages of lung cancer: Usually the doctors divide the small cell lung cancer into two stages. This is because of the fact that this type of lung cancer spreads early and it not easy to diagose the spread. Most of the times this lung cancer is treated as it is spread. The two stages of small cell lung cancer are: Limited disease: In this the cancer is visible only in one lung, in the fuild near the affected lung or in a lymph node near the affected lung. The five year survival rate is 15-30%. Extensive disease: This signifies that the cancer has spread to other parts of the chest outside the lung and to the other parts of the body. The five year survival rate is less than 2%. Usually doctors so not use surgery to treat small cel lung cancer except when it is in the early stages. Doctors usually go in for chemotherapy accompanied with or without radiation.
Doctors also check the pleural effucin (liquid contained in the membrane covering the outside of the lung) for prsence of cancer cells. If there is presence of cancer cells then it can affect the stage of the cancer and can result in malignancy. The stages of the lung cancer are important to diagnose as later on these are compared to assess the progress of the treatment or the disease. The doctors decide on the stage at which the cancer is after taking a number of factors into consideration. if you face any abonomal symptoms or are a smoker then you should get yourself examined regularly to be on the safer side. The sooner the treatment starts the better it is for the patient and more is the survival rate. Lung Cancer and Other Diseases Caused by Tobacco Products Lung cancer complications Stages of lung cancer metastasis Veggies in Diet May Cut Lung Cancer Risk
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