What non small cell lung cancer really is
Non small-cell lung cancer is a malignant condition where some of the cells in the lungs multiply in an uncontrolled, chaotic manner and endanger the functioning of the lungs.
Lung cancers may be primary or secondary. Primary cancers are those that originate in the lungs, secondary cancers originate elsewhere in the body and migrate to the lungs (and possibly to other body parts.)
About 80% of all lung cancers are non small-cell lung cancers. The remaining 20% are small cell lung cancers. The latter are considerably more dangerous since they spread fast to other parts of the body and tend to affect vital organs rapidly.
Tumors caused by non small-cell lung cancer grow at different rates. The growth rate depends primarily on the specific kind of cell within the lungs that have become cancerous. Most of the non small-cell lung cancers fall into one of three categories.
A type of cancer called adenocarcinoma makes up the majority of non small-cell lung cancers. The problem with this type of cancer is that it often shows no symptoms. As a result, detection tends to be delayed. Most cases of adenocarcinoma are quite advanced when they are diagnosed. This, of course, makes treatment that much more difficult.
In contrast to adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas are often detected early. This is because they have a tendency to form in the central portion of the lungs. As a result of this placement, they may block the passage of air and the normal functioning of the lungs. For this reason, they are usually discovered earlier than the first type of cancer.
There is another class of non small-cell lung cancer as well. These are the giant cell carcinomas and undifferentiated large cell carcinomas. Unlike other forms of non small-cell cancers, they may rapidly spread to other parts of the body. This process is called metastasizing. They also grow far more rapidly than other varieties of this disease. These characteristics make undifferentiated large cell carcinomas quite dangerous. The rapid growth of certain types of cancers is a major reason why some medical professionals hold the opinion that chest x-rays should be a part of routine annual medical checkups.
Non small-cell lung cancer is, by and large, less dangerous than the small cell variety. Early detection and treatment are the keys to containing the threat.
