How Do They  Classify It?Image result for lung cancer stage 4

The most usual NSCLC is classifying with the help of a system called TNM which classifies:

T – tumor size and location
N – the number of nearby lymph nodes that have become involved
M – metastasis, or how far cancer has spread

How Far Has It Gone?

With the help of a combination of T, N, and M rates, doctors classify NSCLC into four stages:

1- The tumor hasn’t spread in different organs and lymph nodes and is in a single lung.
2- Cancer has grown and spread into the lymph nodes inside the lung; not in other organs.
3- Cancer has developed in lymph nodes at the center of the chest; not yet in distant organs.
3a- Cancer has not developed on the opposite side of the body.
3b- Cancer has grown in the lymph nodes in the opposite lung and has spread above the collarbone to the throat and neck.
4-  Cancer has spread throughout the body.

The Survival Rates

On the basis of a 2015 review article in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta these 6 stages, the following stats are the percentage of people who are still living 5 years after their diagnosis:

stage 1: 60-80 percent
stage 2: 30-50 percent
operable stage 3a: 10-15 percent
inoperable stage 3a: 2-5 percent
stage 3b: 3-7 percent
stage 4: 1 percent

Small Cell Lung Cancer

Out of all the lung cancer cases,  15 percent are Small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Unlike NSCLC, for SCLC there are two categories in which it has been classified, they are:

Limited stage- Cancer is on one side of the chest.
Extensive stage- Cancer has spread to the opposite side of the body.

Rare Survival

SCLC grows much faster and spreads more quickly if compared to NSCLC and it’s much more challenging to treat. In SCLC cases, the 5-year survival rate is just 5-10 percent, and there are more possibilities of survival for the limited stage patients than extensive stage patients.

Rays Of HopesImage result for lung cancer hopes

“For those with Stage 1 lung cancer, the 5-year survival rate is 75 percent, whereas, for Stage 4, the 5-year survival is under 5 percent. I explain to all my patients that these are just general numbers and the stats include people who are either too sick for treatment or who die of other causes, like heart disease. There’s always hope, and there are things a patient can do to improve their chances, including quitting smoking, getting care at an excellent facility, and having social support,” said Antonoff.