Stages of Lung Cancer

Stages of Lung Cancer
1700 Luther Lane Suite 1110 Park Ridge, IL 60068 847-723-0100 IllinoisCK.com

Lean more about lung cancer and how we can help.
Please note: We encourage consumers to thoroughly review and understand all treatment
options. The information presented here is not all-inclusive. Rather, it represents a starting
point to learn about medical conditions and treatment options. This is not intended as a
substitute for medical advice from your professional healthcare provider. Contact your
professional healthcare provider to find out if stereotactic radiation therapy is right for you.

Lung Cancer Overview
¤  Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
¤  Non-small cell lung cancer is an umbrella term for several types of lung
cancers that behave in a similar way.
¤  Non-small lung cancer accounts for 85% of lung cancers.
¤  Smoking increases the risk of NSCLC.
¤  Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)
¤  Small cell lung cancer occurs almost exclusively in heavy smokers.
¤  Small cell lung cancer accounts for 15% of lung cancers in the United States.
¤  SCLC grows more rapidly and spreads to other parts of the body earlier than
non-small cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
There are two types of lung cancer:

Diagnosing Lung Cancer
Lung cancer can be diagnosed by Screening Procedures:
¤  Chest x-ray- A type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film,
making a picture of the lungs inside the body.
¤  Sputum cytology- A procedure in which a sample of sputum (mucus that is coughed
up from the lungs) is viewed under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
¤  Low-dose spiral CT scan-A procedure that uses low-dose radiation to make a series of
very detailed pictures of areas inside the body.
If the results of a screening procedure produces abnormal cells, the next step is:
¤  Biopsy- a procedure used to extract lung tissue from the body in order to look at the
cells under a microscope and diagnose the cancer cells.

The TNM Staging System
¤  A staging system describes how far a cancer has spread. The most
widely used staging system for lung cancer is the American Joint
Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM system.
¤  Non-small cell lung cancer is broken down into four stages of severity.
¤  Small cell lung cancer uses a two-tiered system of severity.
¤  The TNM system for lung cancer is based on key pieces of information:
¤  The extent of the primary tumor (T category)
¤  Whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes (N category)
¤  The absence or presence of distant metastasis (M category)
¤  The combination of these categories determine what stage of cancer the
patient is in.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Stage I
¤  The size of the cancer is no larger than 5 cm.
¤  The cancer is only localized within the lungs.
¤  The tumor is not blocking any airways.
¤  The cancer has not spread to any lymph nodes.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Stage II
¤  The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes within the lungs.
¤  The tumor has grown to be larger than 5 cm, but no larger
than 7 cm.
¤  The tumor is partially clogging the airways.
¤  The cancer has the ability to collapse one lung or cause
localized pneumonia.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Stage III
¤  The cancer has the ability to invade other areas
near the lungs including: chest wall, diaphragm,
membranes surrounding the space between the
lugs, or membranes of the sac surrounding the heart.
¤  A smaller tumor can form accompanied by cancer
cells in the lymph nodes farther away from the lungs.
¤  The cancer can be large enough to collapse or
cause pneumonia in both lungs.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Stage IV
¤  The tumor can be any size.
¤  The cancer has spread to both lungs or the fluid in
the area between the lungs.
¤  The cancer has spread to distant organs in the
body including: liver, bones or brain.

Small Cell Lung Cancer- Two Stages
¤  Limited Stage-
¤  In this stage, cancer is found
on one side of the chest,
involving just one part of the
lung and nearby lymph
nodes.
¤  Only about 1 in 3 people
have limited stage SCLC
when it is first found.
¤  Extensive Stage-
¤  The cancer has spread
widely throughout the lung,
to the other lung, to the
lymph nodes on the other
side of the chest, or distant
organs.

Lung Cancer Treatment Options
¤  Surgery
¤  If in good general health, stage I and II lung cancer patients are usually
treated with surgery. More advanced stages must be evaluated
individually for the possibility of surgery. Some patients have small
tumors that can be removed surgically, but they may suffer from other
medical problems or may be opposed to surgery. In these cases,
important treatment options like CyberKnife® offer an alternative.
¤  Conventional radiation therapy
¤  Conventional radiation therapy administers a broad beam of low dose
radiation from only a few directions. Generally, treatment is offered with
chemotherapy and radiation combined.
¤  Stereotactic radiosurgery
¤  Stereotactic radiosurgery is a noninvasive method of treating tumors
with high dose radiation precisely aimed from different angles. Systems
like the CyberKnife can offer effective treatment of lung tumors while
carrying a low risk of side effects.

CyberKnife Treatment
¤  Prior to radiosurgery, doctors may implant
between three and six small metal markers
known as fiducials in or near the tumor that
enable the CyberKnife to pinpoint the tumor
location during treatment. Implanting the
markers is an outpatient procedure that
takes about an hour.
¤  Patients are fitted with a custom body mold
made of soft material that they lie on during
treatment. The fitting process is painless.
Patients then undergo a CT scan used in
developing a treatment plan.
¤  Most CyberKnife patients have minimal side
effects, the most common being fatigue,
and return to their normal routines
immediately.

Additional Resources

Our Center
Under the direction of medical director Dr. Arica Hirsch, Illinois
CyberKnife brings together experienced physicians and the
latest medical advances to provide patients with exceptional
care since its 2011 opening. Illinois CyberKnife is part of
Advocate Lutheran General’s Renowned Cancer Care Center,
located in the center for Advanced Care on the hospital’s
campus. Our doctors are board-certified in radiation oncology
and have several areas of specialty, including head and neck
cancers, prostate cancer and lung cancer. We are dedicated
to providing our patients with the latest cancer treatment
technology and are proud of the experience and expertise our
physicians and caring staff bring to our patients.
Read Our
Blog!
Medical Director: Dr. Arica Hirsch
CyberKnife Nurse: Linda Green, BS RN
Medical Physicist: Tony Simon
Connect with us!

Stages of Lung Cancer

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