What Is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

A lung cancer diagnosis is devastating, both for the patient and for his family and friends. It may be hard to concentrate on the details of diagnosis, but it's important to know what you're up against. Lung cancer comes in different types, small cell and non-small cell. Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common and less deadly type.

Identification

• Small cell lung cancer is relatively rare and is caused by smoking. Most lung cancer cases are classified as non-small cell lung cancer. While it also can be caused by smoking, several other factors can contribute to its development, and it can appear in people who have never smoked or lived with people who smoked.

Types

• Non-small cell lung cancer comes in different types. The most common are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common, both overall and for men with lung cancer. Women and people who have never smoked are more likely to develop adenocarcinoma. Large-cell carcinoma is notable for its ability to spread rapidly.

Risk Factors

• Smoking and inhaling second-hand smoke are both risk factors for non-small cell lung cancer, but several other factors can play a part. Exposure to asbestos, tar, soot, arsenic, radon or chromium can put you at risk for non-small cell lung cancer. Living in an area with polluted air can also raise risk. In some cases, radiation treatment to the chest for another cancer (usually breast cancer) can spur non-small lung cancer development.

Symptoms

• Lung cancer may not cause any symptoms until it is advanced (this is one reason why the disease is so hard to treat). Respiratory symptoms of non-small cell lung cancer include a persistent cough, chest pain, finding it hard to breathe, coughing up bloody mucus, hoarseness and wheezing. Other symptoms can include tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Treatment

• While non-small cell lung cancer is less deadly than small cell lung cancer, it's still dangerous, and traditional treatment often fails to put the cancer in remission.Treatment can help shrink a tumor and can in some cases improve your quality of life, but in other cases treatment can be painful and debilitating without offering much hope in fighting the cancer. There are clinical trials of new treatments available for people with non-small cell lung cancer; for more information, see the link below.