Lung cancer

Note: The information on cancer types on the ACRF website is not designed to provide medical or professional advice and is for information only. If you have any health problems or questions please consult your doctor.

Overview

Lung cancer forms within the cells of the lung and usually develops in the lining of the airway.

Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form and is usually associated with a history of smoking. It affects the cells lining the tubes into the lungs and smaller airways. In stage 1, this cancer is only present in the lung, in stages 2 and 3 it has spread through the chest and in stage 4 it has spread from the chest.

Small cell lung cancer accounts for around 20 per cent of lung cancers, is also associated with a history of smoking and often starts in the middle of the lungs. When confined to the place in the chest where the cancer originated, this cancer type is described as ‘limited’. One the cancer has spread it is described as ‘extensive’.

While not strictly a lung cancer, mesothelioma is a rare chest and abdominal lining cancer mainly affecting people exposed to asbestos particles.

Video kindly provided by Cancer Research UK

Treatment

Surgery is the most common treatment and offers the best chance of cure for non-small cell cancers that have not spread beyond the lung.

Methods include wedge resection or segmentectomy, in which a small section of the lung is removed, lobectomy, where an entire section is removed and pneumonectomy, which is the removal of an entire lung.

Surgical techniques for treating lung cancer have improved greatly over the last few years.

Patients with more advanced tumours will commonly receive chemotherapy before surgery, however chemotherapy on its own cannot cure non-small cell lung cancer.

Radiotherapy may be used to cure lung cancers confined to the chest, if the tumour is too large for surgery, or a person’s general health or lung function makes surgery unsafe.

If a cure is not possible, palliative treatment can be used to relieve problems including pain.