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Here is a good breakdown on Non Small Cell Cancer
Lung cancers can be divided into two types: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The cancer cells of each type grow and spread in different ways, and they are treated differently.
There are three main kinds of non-small cell lung cancer. They are named for the type of cells found in the cancer: squamous cell carcinoma (also called epidermoid carcinoma), adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.
Non-small cell lung cancer is a common disease. It is usually treated by surgery (taking out the cancer in an operation) or radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells). However, chemotherapy may be used in some patients.
Your prognosis (chance of recovery) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of your cancer (whether it is just in the lung or has spread to other places), tumor size, the type of lung cancer, whether you have any symptoms, and your general health
Once lung cancer has been found (diagnosis), more tests will be done to find out if the cancer has spread from the lung to other parts of the body (staging). The doctor needs to know the stage to plan treatment. The following stages are used for non-small cell lung cancer:
Occult stage
Cancer cells are found in sputum, but no tumor can be found in the lung.
Stage 0
Cancer is only found in a local area and only in a few layers of cells. It has not grown through the top lining of the lung. Another term for this type of lung cancer is carcinoma in situ.
Stage I
The cancer is only in the lung, and normal tissue is around it.
Stage II
Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage III
Cancer has spread to the chest wall or diaphragm near the lung; or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the area that separates the two lungs (mediastinum); or to the lymph nodes on the other side of the chest or in the neck. Stage III is further divided into stage IIIA (usually can be operated on) and stage IIIB (usually cannot be operated on).
Stage IV
Cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Recurrent
Cancer has come back (recurred) after previous treatment.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the lungs.
Chemoprevention uses drugs to prevent a second cancer from occurring.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or from putting materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes in the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).
One new type of radiation therapy is called radiosurgery. In radiosurgery, radiation is directly focused on the tumor, and involves as little normal tissue as possible. Radiosurgery is usually used as treatment for tumors that involve the brain.
Cryosurgery freezes the tumor and kills it. Photodynamic therapy uses a certain type of light and a special chemical to kill cancer cells. Laser therapy uses a narrow beam of light to kill cancer cells. Cryosurgery and photodynamic therapy are usually used in clinical trials.
Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are used to treat non-small cell lung cancer. However, these treatments often do not cure the disease.
If you have lung cancer, you may want to think about taking part in one of the many clinical trials being done to improve treatment. Clinical trials are going on in most parts of the country for all stages of non-small cell lung cancer. Talk with your doctor about your treatment choices.
Patients with non-small cell lung cancer can be divided into three groups, depending on the stage of the cancer and the treatment that is planned. The first group (stages 0, I, and II) includes patients whose cancers can be taken out by surgery. The operation that takes out only a small part of the lung is called a wedge resection. When a whole section (lobe) of the lung is taken out, the operation is called a lobectomy. When one whole lung is taken out, it is called a pneumonectomy.
Radiation therapy may be used to treat patients in this group who cannot have surgery because they have other medical problems. Like surgery, radiation therapy is called local treatment because it works only on the cells in the area being treated.
The second group of patients has lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or to lymph nodes. These patients can be treated with radiation therapy alone or with surgery and radiation, chemotherapy and radiation, or chemotherapy alone.
The third group of patients has lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Radiation therapy may be used to shrink the cancer and to relieve pain. Chemotherapy may be used to treat some patients in this group.
Tests are done to find the main tumor (cancer). Lung cancer that is found at this early stage can be cured by surgery.
Stage 0 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Your treatment may be one of the following:
Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Your treatment may be one of the following:
Stage II Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Your treatment may be one of the following:
Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer
Your treatment may be one of the following:
Stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer Your treatment may be one of the following:
Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Your treatment may be one of the following:
Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Your treatment may be one of the following:
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