Stages of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer treatment depends on tumor size and on how far the cancer has spread. To help doctors decide on the best treatment plan for an individual’s needs, a system of stages that describes the growth and spread of the cancer has been developed.

There are two stages for small cell lung cancer:

• Limited Stage: Cancer is usually confined to one lung and lymph nodes on the same side of the chest.
• Extensive Stage: Cancer has spread to both lungs and to lymph nodes on both sides of the chest, or to distant organs.

The stages of non-small cell lung cancer are:

• Occult Stage: Cancer can be detected in patient's saliva, but tumors cannot be found in the lungs.
• Stage 0: Cancer is localized in a few layers of cells and has not grown through the lung's top lining.
• Stage I: Cancer is only in the lung and surrounded by normal tissue.
• Stage II: Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage III: Cancer has spread to the chest wall or diaphragm near the lung, or to the lymph nodes in the mediastinum (the area that separates the two lungs), or to the lymph nodes on the other side of the chest or in the neck. This stage is divided into IIIA, which can usually be operated on, and stage IIIB, which usually cannot withstand surgery.
• Stage IV: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
• Recurrent: Cancer has returned after treatment.