When a lung cancer is found, one of the most important and life-saving treatments available is the possibility of surgically removing the cancer. Unfortunately, this is not always possible since many times, the cancer has spread too far by the time it has been found. A system has been created which allows doctors to know if the person with lung cancer is able to undergo surgery. This system is one whereby lung cancers are classified into stages when they are first found. These stages, in turn, tell the cancer specialist and the cancer surgeon if the person with cancer is able to have surgery or not.
Lung Cancers are of two basic types. Those two types are Non – Small Cell Lung Cancer and Small Cell Lung Cancer. Each of these two different types of lung cancer have different staging systems.
NON SMALL CELL LUNG CANCERS. Non – small cell lung cancers are staged as stage I through stage IV, with stage I being the best and stage IV being the worst. Each of these stages, in turn can be subclassified into an either “A” or a “B”. Thus, it is possible to have a Stage I “A” and a stage I “B” depending on how much cancer is found. Accordingly, it is possible to have a stage II “A” or a stage II “B”, stage III “A” or stage III “B” and so forth and so on.
The general agreement among cancer specialist physicians worldwide is that when a non – small cell lung cancer is found from a stage I through a stage III “A” surgery is still a possibility, but if the cancer is felt to be a stage III “B” or greater, surgery is then felt to not be able to be performed as the cancer is too far advanced by stage III “B” and beyond in order to perform surgery.
The second type of lung cancer, the type known as Small Cell Lung Cancers is much more aggressive than Non – Small Cell Lung Cancers. Surgery is felt to not be possible for Small Cell Lung Cancers – regardless of the stage in which they are found. As a result of this, Small Cell Lung Cancers are staged not as stage I, II, III or IV as Non – Small Cell Lung Cancers are, Small Cell Lung Cancers are only staged as “Limited” or “Extensive” stage. Thus, if your doctor states that the cancer is “stage II” or “stage III”, you will know that he or she is referring to a Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (which is the less aggressive type of lung cancer), since Small Cell Lung Cancers are not staged with numbers.
All of these principles are covered in excellent detail and in easy to understand language on the Lung Cancer audio CD that is available on www.CancerInPlainEnglish.com web site.