Lung cancer and stages

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and accounts for the largest number of cancers (more than 20%) with an increase of 0.5% each year.

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Learn about lung cancer

This is one of the most serious diseases because of the high number of people who suffer but the survival rate of more than 5 years after diagnosis is only about 15% of the average in the world. The reason is that patients often detect the disease very late. About 80% of lung cancer patients often visit when cancer cells have metastasized since early lung cancer has very little external manifestations and is difficult to detect clinically.

Lung cancer and disease stages are determined based on the pathological and disease manifestations

Symptoms of an early stage disease are often nonspecific, after coughing gets worse or does not go away, breathing is difficult, such as shortness of breath, continuous chest pain, coughing up blood, a hoarse, infected voice Regular lung infections, such as pneumonia, feel very tired all the time, unexplained weight loss.

Common causes of lung cancer are cigarettes . An estimated 85% of cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking. In Vietnam, in addition to tobacco, waterpipe tobacco is also one of the causes.

Lung cancer is divided into two main types: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer . In particular, small cell lung cancer is a more dangerous type of cancer, accounting for about 16% of total cases. This disease has a rapid growth rate that is twice as fast as the other and quickly spreads far away.

If left untreated, the survival time is only about 12-15 weeks, in the period of spread from 6 to 9 weeks. Chemotherapy is considered the main treatment for small cell lung cancer. The remaining cases of lung cancer belong to non-small cell lung cancer, which can be divided into adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma and epidermal carcinoma. These cancers develop more slowly than small cell lung cancer and are more likely to get better.

Lung cancer and disease stages are classified based on the nature of the disease and the specific state of the tumor.

With small cell lung cancer, the stages are divided as follows:

1. Restriction stage: Cancer is found only in one lung and the surrounding tissue.
2. Stage of expansion: Cancer is found in the tissues of the chest outside the lungs where it begins. Or cancer is found in distant organs.

With non-small cell lung cancer, the stages are divided as follows:

1. Covered stage: Lung cancer cells are found in phlegm or in water samples collected during bronchoscopy, but the tumor cannot be seen in the lungs.
2. Stage 0: Cancer cells are found only in the innermost lining of the lungs. The tumor does not develop through this lining. A Stage 0 tumor is also called localized carcinoma . Tumors are not spread.
3. Stage I: Cancer cells are limited in the lungs. The tissue around the lungs is still normal.
4. Stage II: Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, chest wall, diaphragm, pleura, or outer lining of the heart.
5. Stage III: Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the chest area between the heart and lungs. Blood vessels in this area may also be affected. Cancer can also spread to the lower neck.
6. Stage IV: Cancer has spread to other lungs or other areas of the body and cannot be removed by surgery.

At each stage, there will be different treatments to achieve the best results. The main methods used are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Although lung cancer is a malignant disease with a high mortality rate, there is always a chance of prolonging life if treated aggressively. With many medical studies conducted, the survival rate for this disease is increasing.