Lung Cancer Stages

Lung Cancer Stages

Each type of lung cancer is staged differently.

Small cell carcinoma has two main stages:

Limited stage: In this stage, the lung cancer is confined to one lung and it has affected the lymph nodes from the same side of the chest as the affected lung.
Extensive stage: In this stage, the lung cancer is located in both lungs, it has spread to the lymph nodes from the both sides of the chest, or it has spread to other organs.

Non-small cell carcinoma has 7 stages:

Occult Stage: In this stage, the cancer is found in saliva, but there are not tumors in the lungs.
Stage 0: In this stage, the cancer is limited to the surface of the bronchus or in a few cell layers.
Stage I: In this stage, the tumor is confined to the lung.
Stage II: In this stage, the cancer has spread to the adjacent lymph nodes.
Stage III: In this stage, the cancer has spread to one of the following areas: 1) the chest wall or diaphragm near the lungs, 2) the lymph nodes between the lungs, and 3) the lymph nodes located in the other side of the chest or from the neck area.
Stage IV: In this stage, the cancer has spread to other organs of the body (stage called metastasis).
Recurrent: In this stage, the cancer has relapsed after it was treated.

Article by Alina Morrow, MS
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com