Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

Is more common than small cell lung cancer accounting for approximately 85% of all cases of lung cancer. Non Small Cell Lung Cancer generally grows and spreads more slowly than Small Cell Lung Cancer. There are three main types of non-small cell lung cancer. They are named for the type of cells in which the cancer develops: squamous cell carcinoma (also called epidermoid carcinoma), adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma: Usually beginning in the mucous glands, adenocarcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed type of lung tumor, accounting for forty percent of all cases. Women are more likely to develop adenocarcinoma than any other Non Small Cell Lung Cancer.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma:Squamous cell carcinoma causes 30 to 35 percent of all cases. Slow growing, squamous cell carcinoma usually begins in the bronchial tubes, and diseased nodules tend to be clumped together.

Large Cell Carcinoma: The least common form of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer, large cell carcinoma occurs in approximately five to fifteen percent of all cases. Tumors may develop in isolation, or in masses. The prognosis is worse than for squamous carcinomas, and tumors tend to be large at the time of diagnosis.

Undifferentiated:The variety of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer cannot be determined. As Non Small Cell Lung Cancer classifications are all treated in much the same way, an undifferentiated diagnosis does not usually affect treatment outcome.
Cigarettes, radon and asbestos exposure are the leading causes of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer. Surgical removal of the diseased tissue is the usual treatment option, although radiation therapy and chemotherapy may also be used, depending on tumor growth and spread.

Small Cell Lung Cancer

Is less common than non-small cell lung cancer. Small Cell Lung Cancer accounts for fifteen percent of all diagnoses, and is most prevalent among smokers. Small Cell Lung Cancer is also called oat cell cancer, because malignant cells are oat-shaped. Small Cell Lung Cancer is aggressive, and spreads quickly. In approximately seventy percent of cases the cancer has spread to other organs by the time the disease is diagnosis. Once metastasized, a Small Cell Lung Cancer patient is not a candidate for surgery but does respond to chemotherapy.

Limited Small Cell Lung Cancer

About one third of patients with SCLC have limited disease at initial diagnosis. This stage is highly responsive to a combination of systemic chemotherapy and radiation. Substantial shrinkage of tumor occurs in as many as 80% to 90% of patients with this treatment. Complete clinical remission can be achieved in 50% to 60% of all patients with this stage of disease. Recent trials of chemotherapy and radiation show median survival times of 15 to 18 months, 2-year survival rates of 30% to 40%, and 5-year survival rates of 10% to 15%.

Extensive Small Cell Lung Cancer

In the two thirds of patients with SCLC who have extensive disease at initial diagnosis, the response rate to systemic chemotherapy is 60% to 80%, median survival time is 9 to 10 months, and the 2-year survival rate is less than 10%. Five-year survival with extensive disease is rarely reported. Complete clinical remission is achieved in only 20% to 30%. The chemotherapeutic agents given for extensive disease are identical to those used for limited disease.

Notice that the cells are almost only blue nucleus (DNA) material making them "small" under the microscope.

Types of Lung Cancer

There are two major types of lung cancers, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, depending on how the cells look under a microscope. Each type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways and is treated differently.

Lung cancer refers to malignant tumors that originate in the lung itself. A cancer of lung lining or pleura is called mesothelioma and is a different type of cancer.

Small cell lung cancer About 20 out of every 100 lung cancers diagnosed are small cell lung cancer Which is so called because the cancer cells are small cells that are mostly filled with the nucleus (the control centre of cells). Small cell cancer can also be called 'oat cell' cancer. This type of cancer is usually always caused by smoking. It is not common for someone who has never smoked to develop it. Small cell lung cancer often spreads quite early so doctors often suggest treatment with chemotherapy rather than surgery.

Non-small cell lung cancer There are three types of non-small cell lung cancer. These are grouped together because they behave in a similar way and respond to treatment differently to small cell lung cancer. The three types are:• Squamous cell carcinoma • Adenocarcinoma • Large cell carcinoma

Secondary cancer is cancer that has spread from somewhere else in the body. There are quite a few different cancers that can spread to the lungs, including breast cancer and bowel cancer.
It is important to know what you are dealing with so that you can find the right information. The choice of cancer treatment depends on where the cancer started. When cancer spreads to the lung from the breast, the cells are breast cancer cells, not lung cancer cells. So they respond to breast cancer treatments. And cancer that has spread from the bowel should respond to bowel cancer treatments.

Lung Cancer

Lung CancerThis section explains how cancer develops and other background information about cancer. The effects of smoking with asbestos exposure is detailed in Smoking & Lung Cancer. The Types of Lung Cancer section outlines different categories such as non small cell and small cell lung cancer. The Lung Cancer Symptom section list common lung cancer symptoms that may indicate reason for concern and the need to visit a doctor. Once a diagnosis has been made, a determination of the "stage" or severity of the cancer is made by the doctor. A detailed analysis of the different levels of cancer staging is outlined in Lung Cancer Staging section. Surgery and Chemotherapy, Side Effects and Clinical Trials are all discussed in the Lung Cancer Treatment Options section.

Mesothelioma - Cancer of the Lung LiningThis section provide a descriptions of Pleural Mesothelioma and Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma Symptoms, Diagnosis, Staging and Clinical Trials are also covered. The fact that asbestos causes mesothelioma and the many years it takes to develop mesothelioma cancer are covered in Years to Develop and Asbestos Causes Mesothelioma section.
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Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer

Pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer are both serious illnesses, but they are not the same. Pleural mesothelioma – sometimes called “asbestos lung cancer” – is really not a form of lung cancer, but a cancer of the lining that surrounds the lung.

A main difference between lung cancer and mesothelioma is that lung cancer is in the tissue of the lung. By contrast, pleural mesothelioma occurs in the lining around the lung.
Smoking is often considered a primary cause of lung cancer, while asbestos exposure is considered a primary cause of mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure may also be associated with lung cancer. Smoking is not linked to mesothelioma, however. Those exposed to asbestos and who smoke are as much as 90 times more likely to be develop lung cancer than those who don’t smoke.