Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesSymptomsNSCLC vs. SCLCCausesDiagnosisStagesTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Symptoms
NSCLC vs. SCLC
Causes
Diagnosis
Stages
Treatment
Prognosis
Lung cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the lungs. These abnormal cells form tumors that damage the normal functioning of the lungs. Most lung cancer cases are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which can affect different types of cells in the lungs and airways.
Without treatment, non-small cell lung cancer can spread throughout the body, causing damage to other organ systems. This article will review the types of non-small cell lung cancer, how it is diagnosed, and its treatment options.
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Types of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer makes up approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases. It is subdivided into three main types, depending on the type of cells that the cancer affects, as follows:
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Symptoms
Symptoms of non-small cell lung cancercan relate to changes in your lungs, airways, and other body systems. Sometimes non-small cell lung cancer does not produce any noticeable signs and symptoms.
When asymptomatic, lung cancer may be detected through a chest X-ray if you have one done in diagnosing other conditions.For people at high risk (based on their age and smoking history), low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) imaging is now recommended forscreening for lung cancer.
Early Signs
Early signs of non-small cell lung cancer, if present, often include shortness of breath and a cough that does not go away. The growth of cancer cells within the lungs and airways affects your ability to breathe, making it difficult to get air in and out of the lungs effectively. This can also result in:
Symptoms After Spread
As lung cancer spreads to other parts of the body, symptoms start to involve your entire body. You may experience such systemic symptoms as:
Non-Small Cell vs. Small Cell Lung Cancer
The two main types of lung cancer are small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer. The main differences between the two are the size of the cancer cells when examined under a microscope.
As the names suggest, small cell lung cancer results from smaller cancer cells than non-small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer tends to grow and spread more quickly, but non-small cell lung cancer is much more common.
Small Cell vs. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: What’s the Difference?
What Causes Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?
Anyone can develop non-small cell lung cancer, but it is much more likely to occur in smokers.Smoking significantly damages the lungs, causing inflammatory changes that can increase the risk of cancer cell growth.
Exposure to secondhand smoke, air pollution, radiation, toxic chemicals, dust, and fumes can alsoincrease the risk of developing non-small cell lung cancer.
Sometimes, lung cancer has a genetic link in which gene mutations that cause lung cancer can be passed down through generations. If you have a family history of lung cancer, you may be at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.
How Is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Diagnosed?
Non-small cell lung cancer is diagnosed through testing that examines the structure and function of your lungs. Diagnosis involves a variety of tests and procedures, which include:
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Stages
As lung cancer continues to grow, it can progress through different stages. A higher stage of non-small cell lung cancer indicates that the cancer is worsening and spreading to other parts of the body. The stage of non-small cell lung cancer will influence what type of treatment is most appropriate.
The stages of non-small cell lung cancer include:
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment
Treatment for non-small cell lung cancerwill depend on the stage of cancer at diagnosis.
Surgery
Surgical removal of a cancerous tumor from the lung is the first treatment option for early stages of non-small cell lung cancer, including stages 1 and 2 and stage 3A, when the cancer is well-isolated with minimal spread to other areas of the body.
For all other stages of non-small cell lung cancer, the tumor has spread too much to other areas, making surgery ineffective at removing enough of the cancer.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves exposing the areas of the body with cancer cells to targeted high-energy radiation beams. Radiation beams are powerful enough to damage the DNA within cancer cells to destroy them and stop them from dividing. Radiation therapy is often used together with chemotherapy to treat cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapyinvolves the use of powerful medications that kill rapidly growing cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often used for people with non-small cell lung cancer who are not eligible for immunotherapy treatment, especially if they have preexisting autoimmune conditions.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are typically the standard treatment for people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (stages 3 to 4). Chemotherapy is often also administered after surgery to kill off any remaining cancer cells not removed from the body surgically.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapyis a type of treatment that uses biologic medication to enhance the body’s immune system to fight off cancer. Immunotherapy medications improve the function and activity of immune system cells so that they can better target cancer cells and stop or slow their growth.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy involves using medications that target the genes that cause cancer cells to form and divide. Approximately 10% to 30% of cases of non-small cell lung cancer are linked tomutations in the EGFR gene, while 5% or less of cases are linked to mutations in other genes, including the ALK, ROS1, RET, and BRAF V600E genes.
Ongoing research is geared toward developing drugs targeting these genetic mutations to stop abnormal cellular activity and decrease cancer growth and development.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Prognosis
Unfortunately, lung cancer has a poor prognosis, with a one-year survival rate of less than 50% and a five-year survival rate of less than 18%. Because lung cancer is not always symptomatic, almost 40% of people with it have already developed to stage 4 at the time they are diagnosed, making treatment less effective in slowing cancer growth.
Every case of lung cancer is different, however, and survival rates can vary from person to person depending on lifestyle factors and how early and aggressively treatment is administered after diagnosis.
Lung Cancer Symptoms, Types, and What to Know
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zappa C, Mousa SA.Non-small cell lung cancer: current treatment and future advances.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2016;5(3):288-300. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2016.06.07American Lung Association.Why should you get a lung cancer screening test?National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How is lung cancer diagnosed and treated?Alexander M, Kim SY, Cheng H.Update 2020: management of non-small cell lung cancer.Lung.2020;198(6):897-907. doi:10.1007/s00408-020-00407-5.Mithoowani H, Febbraro M.Non-small-cell lung cancer in 2022: a review for general practitioners in oncology.Curr Oncol.2022;29(3):1828-1839. doi:10.3390/curroncol29030150.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zappa C, Mousa SA.Non-small cell lung cancer: current treatment and future advances.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2016;5(3):288-300. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2016.06.07American Lung Association.Why should you get a lung cancer screening test?National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How is lung cancer diagnosed and treated?Alexander M, Kim SY, Cheng H.Update 2020: management of non-small cell lung cancer.Lung.2020;198(6):897-907. doi:10.1007/s00408-020-00407-5.Mithoowani H, Febbraro M.Non-small-cell lung cancer in 2022: a review for general practitioners in oncology.Curr Oncol.2022;29(3):1828-1839. doi:10.3390/curroncol29030150.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Zappa C, Mousa SA.Non-small cell lung cancer: current treatment and future advances.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2016;5(3):288-300. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2016.06.07American Lung Association.Why should you get a lung cancer screening test?National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How is lung cancer diagnosed and treated?Alexander M, Kim SY, Cheng H.Update 2020: management of non-small cell lung cancer.Lung.2020;198(6):897-907. doi:10.1007/s00408-020-00407-5.Mithoowani H, Febbraro M.Non-small-cell lung cancer in 2022: a review for general practitioners in oncology.Curr Oncol.2022;29(3):1828-1839. doi:10.3390/curroncol29030150.
Zappa C, Mousa SA.Non-small cell lung cancer: current treatment and future advances.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2016;5(3):288-300. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2016.06.07
American Lung Association.Why should you get a lung cancer screening test?
National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How is lung cancer diagnosed and treated?
Alexander M, Kim SY, Cheng H.Update 2020: management of non-small cell lung cancer.Lung.2020;198(6):897-907. doi:10.1007/s00408-020-00407-5.
Mithoowani H, Febbraro M.Non-small-cell lung cancer in 2022: a review for general practitioners in oncology.Curr Oncol.2022;29(3):1828-1839. doi:10.3390/curroncol29030150.
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