Types of Cancer » Lung Cancer

lung cancer (lung KAN-ser) Cancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. The two main types are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope.

lung One of a pair of organs in the chest that supplies the body with oxygen, and removes carbon dioxide from the body.

lung metastases Cancer that has spread from the original (primary) tumor to the lung.

stage 0 non-small cell lung cancer Cancer is limited to the lung. It is found in a few layers of cells only, and has not grown through the top lining of the lung. Also called carcinoma in situ.

stage I non-small cell lung cancer Cancer is in the lung only. Stage I is divided into stages IA and IB based on the size or location of the tumor.

stage II non-small cell lung cancer Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or to the chest wall, the diaphragm, the mediastinal pleura (the thin membrane that covers the outside of the lungs in the area near the heart), or the parietal pericardium (the outer layer of tissue that surrounds the heart). Stage II is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB based on the size of the tumor and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes.

stage III non-small cell lung cancer Cancer has spread to structures near the lung; to the lymph nodes in the area that separates the two lungs (mediastinum); or to the lymph nodes on the other side of the chest or in the lower neck. Stage III is further divided into stage IIIA (usually can be resected which is sometimes treated with surgery) and stage IIIB (usually cannot be resected which is rarely treated with surgery).

stage IV non-small cell lung cancer Cancer has spread to other parts of the body or to another lobe of the lungs.