Lung cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the lung cells, which become abnormal and then grow out of control.
There are different types of lung cancer:
- Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer
- Accounts for 80% to 85% of cases
- Small cell lung cancer (also called oat cell cancer)
- Accounts for 10% to 15% of cases
- More rare and aggressive than non-small cell lung cancer
Life expectancy for lung cancer is often expressed in five-year survival rates, that is, how many people will be alive five years after diagnosis.
| Lung Cancer Type |
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Five-Year Survival Rate |
Small Cell Lung Cancer Five-Year Survival Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Localized (cancer that has not spread outside the lung) | 61% | 27% |
| Regional (cancer has spread outside the lung to nearby structures or lymph nodes) | 35% | 16% |
| Distant (cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the brain, bones, liver, or the other lung) | 6% | 3% |
What Are Lung Cancer Symptoms?
Early on, people with non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer may not have symptoms. When symptoms occur for either type of lung cancer, they may include:
- Persistent or worsening cough
- Chest pain that may be worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
- Coughing up blood or rust-colored sputum
- Breathing problems
- Shortness of breath
- Hoarseness
- Wheezing
- Fatigue/tiredness
- Weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
Symptoms of lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissues, organs, or lymph nodes may include the above and:
- Chest discomfort
- Loss of breath
- Excessive headaches
- Bone pain
What Are Lung Cancer Causes and Risk Factors?
The main cause of all types of lung cancer is smoking, which accounts for 80% of all lung cancer deaths, and many deaths from exposure to secondhand smoke. Smokers who are exposed to radon and asbestos are at higher risk of developing lung cancer.
In non-smokers, causes of and risk factors for developing lung cancer include:
- Secondhand smoke
- Workplace exposure to asbestos, diesel exhaust, or other chemicals
- Air pollution
- Exposure to radon
- Genetic changes
Is Lung Cancer Curable?
Treatment for lung cancer depends on the stage, and may include:
- Surgery
- Removal of the tumor (stage 0)
- Removal of the lobe of the lung that has the tumor (lobectomy) or removal of a smaller piece of the lung (sleeve resection, segmentectomy, or wedge resection) (Stage 1)
- Lobectomy or sleeve resection or removal of the entire lung (pneumonectomy) (Stage 2 and later stages)
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
- Laser therapy
- Adjuvant chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
- Lymph node removal
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), durvalumab (Imfinzi), or pembrolizumab (Keytruda)
- Participation in clinical trials
Stage IV lung cancers are widespread and very hard to treat and cure. Any of the above treatments may be used to help patients live longer, but they are unlikely to cure the disease at this stage.
