Types of lung cancer

Knowing the types of lung cancer is important in treating them. There are two major types of lung cancers. They are Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) and Non-SCLC. The SCLC type is that which spreads to other parts of the body very fast. SCLC is treated mostly with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is also combined with surgery or radiation therapy to treat Small Cell Lung Cancer. With the help of a surgery samples are taken out of the tumor to determine the type of cancer a person has. Sometimes lymph nodes are also removed to ascertain the presence of cancer in it. Once the type of cancer is determined the treatment is started.

Chemotherapy is used to stop the growth and the spread of the lung cancer beyond the lungs. Apart from stopping the growth with the chemotherapy the existing tumors in others parts of the body are treated with radiation therapy. You may consult a radiation oncologist for radiation therapy even if cancer is not present in areas like brain. An oncologist may suggest you to have a radiation therapy in the brain to prevent the cancer from being spread to this important part in your body. This type of treatment of the brain with radiation therapy is called prophylactic cranial irradiation. Proper consultation is to be done with the doctor and the patient since radiation may affect the function of the brain if it is exposed to radiation. Sometimes the passage of radiation in an attempt to remove cancerous growth in the spine and bones may not succeed but it may bring in comfort for the patient by relieving some of the symptoms of cancer.

A Non Small Cell Lung Cancer spreads very slowly to the other parts as it grows slowly than the SCLC type of cancer. Early stages of diagnosis of cancer can be treated with surgery. Apart from surgery radiation or chemotherapy can be used to slow down the growth of the cancerous cells and also to relieve the symptoms of cancer. Radiation therapy of treating NSCLC can be done is patient who cannot go for surgery due to some medical conditions. If the lung cancer is spread to the lymph nodes then radiation therapy is the best way to treat cancer. Even if the nearby tissues of the lymph are affected by cancer then radiation therapy is the best option. Pain due to tumors can be reduced if radiation therapy is given to the patient. Radiotherapy makes the patient to breathe easily by making the airways open. Hence it is important to diagnose the type of cancer that is present in the patient and the areas that are affected by the cancer. The first step will be to stop the growth of cancer cells and then to treat them with an appropriate therapy.

Statistics reveal that about 20% of the lung cancers are SCLC and 80% of the cancers are Non-SCLC. The SCLC type of lung cancer is also called the oat cell carcinomas. Based on the type of cells the Non-SCLC type is further categorized as Adenocarcinomas, Squamous cell carcinomas, and large cell carcinomas. The adenocarcinomas are found in smoker as well as non-smokers. The squamous carcinomas are found in the central chest area. The large cell carcinomas are the undifferentiated carcinomas and these are the least common type. The other types of lung cancer that can occur in a person are the Bronchial carcinoids and cancers that affect the supporting tissues of the lungs and blood vessels. Cancers of the lung can also occur as a result of spreading of the cancer from other parts to the lungs. In such cases the cancerous growths are found scattered in the lungs and most often on the peripheral lungs.