Patients with resectable NSCLC have the best prognosis. This group includes patients with clinically stage I or II tumors as well as those with selected stages III tumors.
Squamous cell carcinomas are linked more strongly to cigarette smoking than other histological subtypes of NSCLC. Adenocarcinomas often show histological heterogeneity, with mixtures of acinar, papillary, and bronchioloalveolar patterns.
Risk Factors
The lungs are the two cone-shaped organs in the chest that bring oxygen into the body as you breathe in and release carbon dioxide, a waste product of your cells, out of the body when you exhale. The lungs have sections called lobes and are lined with mucus-producing cells that line the airways (such as bronchi). Tiny air sacs, called alveoli, make up the inside of the lungs.
Cancer forms when abnormal cells in the lung begin to grow rapidly and out of control, forming malignant tumors. There are many different types of non small cell lung cancer, but the most common is squamous cell carcinoma, which occurs in the lining of the lungs and accounts for 25 to 30 percent of all NSCLC diagnoses. Squamous cell carcinoma can be found in smokers or non-smokers.
Other types of NSCLC include adenocarcinoma, which arises in the outer areas of the lungs and in the mucus-producing cells that line the bronchi. Adenocarcinoma affects both smokers and non-smokers and is associated with a better prognosis than other NSCLCs.
Large cell carcinoma is less common, but it is also aggressive and tends to spread quickly. Other types of NSCLC include mucus-producing cell carcinoma, which is rare and affects non-smokers, and bronchioalveolar carcinoma, which occurs in the small airways that branch from the lungs.
A patient’s prognosis depends on the stage of the disease at diagnosis and how well treatment works. Survival rates vary by type of NSCLC and a patient’s age and general health. The earlier a patient is diagnosed and treated, the higher the survival rate.
There are several treatments available for patients with NSCLC, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Some patients may be eligible for a clinical trial that is testing a new treatment.
A patient’s doctor can help them decide whether to participate in a clinical trial and which one is right for them. Clinical trials are research studies meant to find out if a new treatment is safe and effective. Patients who choose to take part in a clinical trial have the chance to receive the best possible treatment for their illness.
Symptoms
Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells grow and multiply in your body. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the two primary types of lung cancer, along with small cell lung cancer. NSCLC grows more slowly than SCLC, but it still spreads to other parts of the body. The five-year survival rate for NSCLC depends on the stage of your tumor, the subtype of NSCLC and whether it has spread at the time of diagnosis.
NSCLC develops in the cells that line your lungs and chest cavity. A thin membrane called the pleura covers the outside of each lung and lines the inside walls of your chest cavity. The pleura contains a fluid that helps your lungs move smoothly when you breathe. Some types of NSCLC develop in these lining cells, while others form in the larger cells that make up most of your lung tissues.
The different types of NSCLC are grouped together based on their type of origin, and each has a unique histological pattern that correlates with its site of origin in the lungs. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma usually originate in the epithelium that linings the bronchi and alveoli. Adenocarcinomas that form in the peripheral lung tissue are referred to as bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.
Symptoms of NSCLC may include coughing, difficulty breathing and chest pain. If the cancer spreads, you may also have symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and loss of appetite.
Like many cancers, NSCLC can spread to other parts of the body, including your brain, liver, skin and lymph nodes. This is called metastatic NSCLC.
If you have a metastatic NSCLC, treatment options are more limited than if the cancer is still localized to your lungs. Your chances of surviving NSCLC and its metastatic forms are significantly improved if the cancer is found in the early stages, and if you quit smoking or never start smoking.
Your doctor can find out if you are at risk for developing NSCLC by doing a physical exam and asking about your past health. Your doctor will also ask about your family history and whether you have been exposed to asbestos, radon or other carcinogens.
Diagnosis
The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped organs in the chest. They bring oxygen into the body from the air, and release carbon dioxide, a waste product of the body’s cells, as you breathe out. The lungs consist of two sections called lobes, with each having many tiny air sacs called alveoli and tubes called bronchi. Cancer that forms in the tissues of the lungs is called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Your healthcare team will use medical tests and imaging techniques to diagnose NSCLC. They will also take a sample of cells from inside your lungs to find out whether the cancer has spread and what stage it is in. These samples are called a biopsy. They are sent to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope for abnormal cells that may be cancerous.
When the results of the biopsy are known, your healthcare team will decide what treatment is best for you. Your options include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Some of these treatments may be used with other treatments to improve your chances of a better outcome.
If the tumor is small and has not spread, your healthcare team might recommend surgical removal of the tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue (lobectomy). This is a common surgery for NSCLC. You may also have radiation therapy or chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the tumor and help prevent it from growing back.
Your doctor will also need to know if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body to determine how far it has progressed. The NSCLC staging system breaks down the stages into three groups:
A five-year survival rate is a measure of how likely it is that you will still be alive after 5 years. These rates are based on data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). They don’t include people who died of something other than lung cancer. The survival rates for the different stages of NSCLC depend on what type of cancer you have and its location in your lungs. The rates are lower for advanced NSCLC, which has spread to other parts of your body.
Treatment
A diagnosis of lung cancer is scary, but knowing your treatment options can help ease your fears. The prognosis depends on the type and stage of your cancer, as well as your individual health. Treatment options may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted drug therapies. A combination of treatments is often the best approach.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer and affects people of all ages and sexes. Smoking is the primary risk factor for non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, not everyone who smokes gets cancer. Other factors, such as age and genetics, can also increase your chances of getting the disease.
The lungs are two cone-shaped organs in the chest that bring oxygen into your body as you breathe in, and release carbon dioxide as waste as you exhale. They consist of a pair of lobes (the left lung has two lobes, and the right lung has three) and tiny air sacs called alveoli. Tubes called bronchi lead from the windpipe to each lung.
NSCLC develops when cells in the lungs begin to grow out of control and form tumors. There are many different types of NSCLC, and the type you have determines your prognosis.
In the early stages of NSCLC, a resection operation can remove the tumor. To determine if you can tolerate surgery, your doctor will perform imaging tests and biopsies of the affected area. The surgeon can usually remove the lobe of your lung containing the tumor through a technique called video-assisted thorascopic surgery, which involves inserting a thorascope into the lungs through a small incision in your chest.
If your cancer has spread to other parts of the lungs, or to nearby tissues, it is in a later stage and your prognosis is poorer. NSCLC can also spread to other organs in the body, such as the brain or bone.
NSCLC is a complex disease, and treatment options change over time. When a new treatment is available, your doctor will consider it to see if it improves your survival. Some patients choose to participate in a clinical trial, which is a research study that compares standard treatments with new treatments. If a treatment is shown to be effective, it becomes the standard treatment.
