How Are Lung Cancer Stages Determined?

Lung cancer is divided into different stages or levels. These lung cancer stages help in determining how advanced lung cancer is in each individual person. Once the stage is determined the information will be used to decide which treatment option will be most successful and the best choice for that particular individual. Lung cancer consists of four general stages ranging from the earliest stages to the most advanced cases of the cancer.

Stage 1

Stage 1 indicates that the cancer is limited to the lungs and has not yet spread to other areas of the body. This stage is further divided into two sublevels. In the beginning of this stage the tumor is often still quite small however by the end of this stage the tumors in some cases may be large enough to cause the partial collapse of the affected lung.

Stage 2

This is the second of the lung cancer stages and this stage is also further divided into sublevels. At the beginning of this stage the cancer is still relatively small but has begun to spread to other areas such as nearby lymph nodes. By the end of this stage one of two things have occurred. The tumor has grown in size and has spread to either the lymph nodes or tissue surrounding the lungs however it is not usually found in both areas.

Stage 3

This is the last stage of lung cancer that has sublevels. The beginning of this stage usually indicates that the cancer may have spread to more distant lymph nodes located on the same side of the body as the lung that is affected by cancer. In some cases the cancer may still be within the nearby lymph nodes however in these cases it is also present in tissues surrounding the lungs as well. By the end of this stage several things may have happened including the spread to lymph nodes on the other side of the body or higher than the collarbone. Fluid with cancer cells present may have built up around the lungs and the cancer may have spread to other areas of the chest such as the heart. There may also be several tumors present at this point.

Stage 4

Stage 4 is the most advanced of the lung cancer stages and generally means that the cancer has spread to affect more of the lung as well as moved beyond the lung to other parts of the body including the stomach or liver.

Once lung cancer is diagnosed and the stage has been determined your health care provider will present treatment options specific to your individual circumstances. Factors that will be used to determine which treatment options will be offered and which ones will be considered most effective. These factors will include information such as how advanced the cancer is, how old the individual is, how far the cancer has spread and the general health of the individual concerned. After this information is gathered it will be used to determine which treatment will be the most effective.