Stages of Lung Cancers

Basic Staging for Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

In a nutshell, the numbers 0 to 4 have a significant role in the staging of all cancers. As the number goes higher, it signifies that the spread of the cancer grows and may ultimately, affect other organs.

Stage 0

The cancer cells are localized and present only in a few layers of the cells. This means the tumour has not spread past the inner lines of the lungs. This is otherwise known as a carcinoma in situ.

Stage 1

The cancer cells are still localized but are affecting a good part of the lung. It has not spread to the lymph nodes yet. It is divided into two parts depending on the size on the tumour. When it is less than 3cm, it said to be in the Stage 1A.When it is more than 3cm, it said to belong to the Stage 1B.

Stage 2

This stage signifies that the cancer cells has spread to nearby lymph nodes or may have a prominent size and has affected certain areas of the main bronchus or has invaded the lung lining.  It is divided into two stages: Stage 2A (the size is 3cm or less) and Stage 2B (the size is more than 3cm).

Stage 3

This stage means the malignant cancer cells have spread to nearby tissues other than lungs.  The cancer is confined to the chest area.  Stage 3A can be a significantly large tumour affecting nearby lymph nodes or a small tumour that have spread to lymph nodes further away from its location.  Stage 3B can be any size of the tumour invading distant lymph nodes, a tumour invading other tissues and structures in the chest like the heart or esophagus or a tumour coupled with a malignant pleural effusion.

Stage 4

In this stage, lung cancer has spread into other parts of the body other than the chest.

Staging for Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

The staging for SCLC is much simpler. It is only divided into two stages that differ in whether or not the cancer is localized, what lymph nodes are involved and what is the best treatment option.

Limited Stage – Cancer cell is only affecting one lung and in some cases, may involve the lymph nodes on the same side of the chest. Since it is usually confined to one area, it is small enough to be treated with radiation therapy.

Extensive Stage – The cancer has spread to the other lung including the lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest and may even affect the fluid surrounding the lung and other distant organs.

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