Lung Cancer Staging

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Stage 0 NSCLC: Stage 0 cancers are limited to the lining layer of air passages and have not invaded nearby tissue, they are curable by surgery alone, such as segmentectomy or wedge resection.

Stage I NSCLC: Cancer may be surgically removed by lobectomy, or removal of one lobe, or by segmentectomy or wedge resection.

Stage II NSCLC: Cancer may be surgically removed by lobectomy, segmentectomy, or wedge resection. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy may also be used.

Stage IIIA NSCLC: Cancer may be surgically removed and treated with chemotherapy or in combindation with radiation therapy.

Stage IIIB NSCLC: Cancer may be treated with combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy and possibly surgery if the cancer is not too widespread.

Stage IV NSCLC: Cure is not possible if cancer has spread to distant organs. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, interstitial radiation therapy, or a laser passed through a bronchoscope to destroy the cancer.

Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

Staged as limited or extensive. Treatment includes chemotherapy and chest radiation therapy. Occasionally surgery or lobectomy is possible, but the brain is a common place of SCLC spread.

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