- KEY POINTS
Non-small cell lung cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the lung.
There are several types of non-small cell lung cancer.
Smoking is the major risk factor for non-small cell lung cancer.
Signs of www.hunshataotao.com/what-is-non-small-cell-lung-cancer/ include a cough that doesn’t go away and shortness of breath.
Tests that examine the lungs are used to detect (find), diagnose, and stage non-small cell lung cancer.
If lung cancer is suspected, a biopsy is done.
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
For most patients with non-small cell lung cancer, current treatments do not cure the cancer.
Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is any type of epithelial lung cancer other than small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. As a class, NSCLCs are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy, compared to small cell carcinoma. When possible, they are primarily treated by surgical resection with curative intent, although chemotherapy is increasingly being used both pre-operatively (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) and post-operatively (adjuvant chemotherapy).
Types of non-small cell lung cancer
There are 2 main types of lung cancer:
About 80% to 85% of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
About 10% to 15% are small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
These types of lung cancer are treated very differently. This information covers only non-small cell lung cancer.
There are subtypes of NSCLC, which start from different types of lung cells. But they are grouped together as NSCLC because the approach to treatment and prognosis (outlook) are often similar.
Non-small cell lung cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the lung.
The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped breathing organs in the chest. The lungs bring oxygen into the body as you breathe in. They release carbon dioxide, a waste product of the body’s cells, as you breathe out. Each lung has sections called lobes. The left lung has two lobes. The right lung is slightly larger and has three lobes. Two tubes called bronchi lead from the trachea (windpipe) to the right and left lungs. The bronchi are sometimes also involved in lung cancer. Tiny air sacs called alveoli and small tubes called bronchioles make up the inside of the lungs.
There are several types of non-small cell lung cancer
Each type of non-small cell lung cancer has different kinds of cancer cells. The cancer cells of each type grow and spread in different ways. The types of non-small cell lung cancer are named for the kinds of cells found in the cancer and how the cells look under a microscope:
Squamous cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales. This is also called epidermoid carcinoma.
Large cell carcinoma: Cancer that may begin in several types of large cells.
Adenocarcinoma: Cancer that begins in the cells that line the alveoli and make substances such as mucus.
Other less common types of non-small cell lung cancer are: pleomorphic, carcinoid tumor, salivary gland carcinoma, and unclassified carcinoma.
