Primary lung cancer has been classified into two types – non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and four-fifths of all lung cancers are non-small cell cancers. These types are classified because of the shapes of the cells – the SCLCs are also called oat cell carcinomas because of their shape. As both could have totally different lines of treatment, it is important that they are diagnosed as different.
Small cell lung cancer cells grow very fast and this type is mainly confined to smokers. They spread through the body and metastasize in various parts and the trouble is, more often than not, this is the stage when the cancer is discovered. In many people, the symptoms do not show till after the cancer has grown to a serious stage.
Non-small cell lung cancer is of three different types – adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas and undifferentiated or large cell carcinomas. Around half the NSCLCs in America are adenocarcinomas and these occur in the peripheral areas of the lungs. The squamous cell carcinomas tend to occur in the central portion of the lungs while the large cell ones grow rapidly and are classified thus because they do not fall into the classification of the other two. Very often, lung cancer in one person can see a combination of these NSCLCs.
NSCLCs are classified in stages according to their severity. The first stage is when it appears in just one lung as a mass and has not spread anywhere else. The second is when it spreads to the other lung and maybe the lymph nodes. The third is when it spreads outside of the lung to the chest wall, the diaphragm or the neck. The fourth stage is when it spreads farther through the body. SCLCs are classified as limited which is when it just begins or extensive which is when it has grown and spread to both lungs.
Other than this, there are lung cancers that could also appear because they metastasize from cancers in other parts of the body and spread to the lungs. These could, then, be not connected to the smoking habits of the person. There are other rare lung cancer types as well – Pancoast syndrome, bronchoalveolar lung cancer, adenoid cystic carcinoma, pulmonary blastoma, etc. And of course, there’s mesothelioma which is the lung cancer caused by asbestos dust. This occurs when the dust settles into the lung in people who work with asbestos and the pleural lining gets infected. Smokers tend to develop the disease much sooner than others.
If there is no treatment prescribed, lung cancer patients survive for two to four months, not more. While lung cancer rarely gets cured, there can be an extension of life with surgery, other therapies and medication. Not only does treatment extend life, it makes life a lot more comfortable as well, especially in instances when the cancer can grow and be painful. This is why regular check ups are advised for people over forty, more so if the person is a smoker.