Types of Lung Cancer

There are two major types of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. They each affect different types of cells in the lung and grow and spread in a different ways, so doctors treat them differently. A diagnosis will include not only the type of lung cancer but the stage, which describes the extent and spread of the disease at diagnosis.Non-small-cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer, is usually associated with a history of smoking, passive smoking, or exposure to radon.
It can be further divided into three categories named for the type of cell found in the tumor: squamous cell carcinoma (also called epidermoid carcinoma), adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Non-small-cell lung cancer is described using four stages.
In stage one the cancer is confined to the lung; in stages two and three the cancer is confined to the chest; and in stage four the cancer has spread from the chest.Small-cell lung cancer, also called oat cell lung cancer, accounts for a quarter of all lung-cancer cases and is associated with a history of smoking. The extent of the disease is described using a two-stage system. A case can be limited, meaning the cancer is confined to a portion of the chest, or extensive, meaning the cancer has spread throughout or from the chest.Tumors found in the lungs sometimes originate in cancer elsewhere in the body. In these cases, treatment will be different from that for cancer that originates in the lungs.