Lung cancer stages - what they mean to you
Lung cancer is a very aggressive disease that often results in death. Lung cancer stages are important because they determine what the treatment should be as well as the outlook for the individual patient. If cancer is detected, one of the first efforts made is to determine the precise stage of the disease.
What determines lung cancer stages?
There are several factors involved. The size of the tumor is one. The number of tumors present can be a factor as well. A very important consideration is whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, or in other words, whether the cancer has metastasized.
If the patient is at the earlier lung cancer stages, he or she has better chances of recovery.
There are four broad lung cancer stages. Stage 1 of the disease is the least life threatening and the mildest. However, even Stage 1 lung cancer is a very serious condition and is only better than the other stages in a relative sense.
Stage 4 lung cancer is when the cancer is at its severest. Chances of survival are very low for Stage 4 patients.
Stage 1:
This is where the cancer is limited to the lung tissues. In other words, the cancer has not spread elsewhere. This stage has the highest chances of complete recovery, given proper treatment and time.Stage 2:
The cancer is still confined to the lung tissue, but has also spread to the lymph nodes located within the lungs.Stage 3:
At this stage, the cancer has not only affected the lung tissues but also the lymph nodes outside the lung area. The cancer has spread somewhat.Stage 4:
The cancer has now metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body. Affected body parts can include the brain, adrenal glands, liver, bone and other organs. This is the most advanced among the lung cancer stages and offers the least hope of recovery. The patient's body is being ravaged by cancer on multiple fronts and a full cure may prove difficult.The treatment chosen by the doctor depends not only on the lung cancer stages but also on the overall health of the patient. It also depends on the type of cancer involved - whether it is small cell lung cancer or the non small cell variety.
With small cell lung cancers, treatments usually adopted are radiation and chemotherapy. It is not possible to estimate a cure rate since it varies quite widely.
For non-small cell lung cancers, Stage 1 disease is usually treated with surgery and the estimated cure rate is around 67%. When the disease has progressed to Stage 2, surgery continues to be a treatment option, but the cure rate may drop to around 40% to 50%.
Both Stages 3 and 4 of non-small cell cancers are treated with a combination of radiation and chemotherapy.
Lung cancer stages have a significant bearing on all aspects of the disease and its management. Despite major research efforts going on around the world, there is a long way to go before reliable methods to prevent and cure lung cancer are discovered.
