Cancers are staged depending on how far they have spread. Staging a cancer correctly is essential to select the most appropriate treatment option. A number of diagnostic tests, such as CT scans, MRIs, bronchoscopy, blood tests, bone scans, and biopsies are used to find out how far the cancer has spread.
Non-small cell lung cancers, which account for about 80 percent of lung cancers, are staged using the Roman numerals 0 through IV. If a cancer is too small to be detected, it is called an occult or hidden cancer and not assigned any numeral. Stage 0 cancer, or carcinoma in situ, is limited to the lung and only involves a few layers of cells. Stage I cancer is still limited to the lung, with an area of normal tissue surrounding it. Stage I cancers are further divided into Stage IA and Stage IB, depending on the size of the tumor. In stage II cancer, the cancer may have spread to nearby lymph nodes, the chest wall, the diaphragm, or to the tissues lining the lung (pleura) and the heart (pericardium). In stage III cancer, lymph nodes in the central chest or on the other side of the body from the original tumor are involved. Stage III cancer is further divided into stage IIIA and stage IIIB. In stage IV cancer, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, bones or brain, or to a lobe of the other lung. Cancers that are stages 0 through IIIA may be treated with surgery. Treatment of stage III and stage IV cancers requires chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Small cell lung cancer has two stages. Limited-stage cancer is limited to only one lung, the tissues between the lungs, and nearby lymph nodes. In extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The brain is commonly involved in extensive-stage cancer.
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Small Cell Lung Cancer
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Between ten and twenty percent of all lung cancers are small cell lung cancers. They derive their name from the typical appearance of small, ‘oat’-like cancer cells under the microscope. This type of cancer is found almost exclusively in smokers or former smokers. Small cell...
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Ovarian Cancer Stages
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By the stage of a cancer we try to express how far the disease has spread. It is crucial, as treatment is mostly decided depending on the stage of a cancer. For ovarian cancer, doctors use a simple I-IV staging system called the FIGO (International...
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Lung Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Lung cancer is the most frequently lethal cancer in the United States. Among all causes of death, lung cancer ranks second after heart disease for males, and third after heart and cerebrovascular disease for females. In 2002 alone, over 150,000 people in the United States...
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Lung Cancer Treatment
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The most commonly used treatments for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The exact treatment a lung cancer patient receives will depend on several factors. These include the type of cancer, the stage or extent to which it has spread at the time of...
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Lung Cancer Symptoms
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In approximately 25% of people with lung cancer, there are no symptoms and the cancer is detected during screening or a routine physical examination. However, in three-quarters of lung cancer patients there are warning symptoms and signs that can alert the patient or their physician....
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Non Small Cell Lung Cancer
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Approximately 80 percent of people with lung cancer have non-small cell lung cancer. Depending on the type of cancer cell present, non-small cell cancer is in turn divided into several subtypes. Squamous cell carcinoma begins in thin, flat surface cells that line the respiratory tract,...
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Lung Cancer Survival Rate
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Several factors influence lung cancer survival rates. The type of cancer, the stage it is at when diagnosed, and the overall condition of the patient all play a role in determining survival. Cancer survival is usually expressed in terms of a five-year survival rate, which...
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Ovarian Cancer Treatments
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The course of treatment for ovarian cancer is normally determined by the stage of the disease. We here classify the stages from I to IV based on the cancer’s specific characteristics, and find out which course is suitable for which stage. By stage I, we...
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Asbestos Lung Cancer
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People with a history of asbestos exposure are about seven times more likely to die from lung cancer than those who are unexposed to asbestos. Asbestos exposure is associated with all types of lung cancer, and with a rare type of cancer called malignant mesothelioma,...
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Colon Cancer Treatment
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Colon cancer is a very dominant kind of cancer that has an occurrence rate only second to lung cancer. Research has been done for several years in an attempt to find treatment methods for colon cancer. Today, there are three common kinds of treatment for...