TYPES OF LUNG CANCER
There are two main types of lung cancer:
The non-small cell and small cell.
Their cells appear different, grow and spread in different manners and have to be
treated differently.
About eighty percent of all lung cancers are non-small cell type which grows & spreads
more slowly than the small cell type.
TYPES OF NON-SMALL CELL CANCER:
Adenocarcinoma - forty percent of non-small cell lung cancers are of this type and
often begin near the outside surface and may vary in size and rate of growth.
It is likely to spread to lymph nodes and other organs. This type is more common in women,
non-smokers or former smokers than other types of Lung Cancer.
Squamous cell carcinoma or epidermoid carcinoma - about thirty percent of lung
cancers are Squamous cells which usually begin in bronchi and grows more slowly, may
vary in size and also may spread to lymph nodes or other organs.
Large cell carcinoma - ten to 15 percent of Lung Cancers are large cell which
begins near surface of lung and are usually large when diagnoised. It also may spread
to other areas.
Adenocarcinoma - with less common subtypes such as clear cell or mucinous
Adenocarcinoma mixed types occur less often
SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER:
Also known as oat cell cancer is less common than non-small cell lung
cancer and makes up about twenty percent of lung cancer cases.
It grows rapidly and in about eighty percent of the cases has already spread to other organs by
the time it is diagnosed. This type is more strongly linked to smoking than non-small
cell cancer.
