Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for about 85 percent of lung cancers and includes:
- Adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer in the United States among both men and women;
- Squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for 25 percent of all lung cancers;
- Large cell carcinoma, which accounts for about 10 percent of NSCLC tumors.
Stages of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
The cancer is located only in the lungs and has not spread to any lymph nodes.
The cancer is in the lung and nearby lymph nodes.
Cancer is found in the lung and the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest, also described as a locally advanced disease. Stage III has two subtypes:
- If the cancer has spread only to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest where the cancer started, it is called stage IIIA.
- If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest, or above the collar bone, it is called stage IIIB.
This is the most advanced stage of lung cancer, and is also described as advanced disease. This is when the cancer has spread to both lungs, to fluid in the area around the lungs, or another part of the body, such as the liver or other organs.