Introducing Stage 4 Lung Cancer

By Anne Durrell

Non-small cell lung cancer is defined in stages. The stage of the cancer diagnosis tells the doctor and the patient how advanced the cancer is.

Stage 4 lung cancer is the most advanced stage of non-small cell lung cancer. When cancer has reached stage 4, it can mean serious treatment is needed and the prognosis for survival is much lower than it is at earlier stages of the disease.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of any lung cancer type can be done through various techniques. It is not obvious if screening is a good process for diagnosis, however, some doctors still use it in hopes that it can catch lung cancer at earlier stages.

Tests include:

* Imaging

* Sputum Cytology

* Biopsy

Staging

As soon as a lung cancer has been diagnosed, the doctor will then work to recognize what stage the cancer is at. Staging the lung cancer helps out to find out the course of treatment as well as give a prognosis or overview to the lung cancer patient what to anticipate.

Below are the stages of non-small cell lung cancer:

Stage one: Cancer is present in the lung tissue and is not spreading

Stage two: Cancer is spreading to lymph nodes or the chest wall

Stage 3 Lung Cancer: Stage 3 is broken into 2 different categories. Stage 3 A is where the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the center of the chest. Stage 3B is where the cancer has spread to the heart, blood vessels, throat area or other places within the chest.

Stage four: stage 4 lung cancer is the highest stage. At this point, the lung cancer has spread beyond the chest spot as well as into another organs or areas, such as the bones or brain.

About the Author:

Anne Durrel has written extensively on Lung Cancer . She comes from California. You may want to check out her other guide on signs of lung cancer tips, and lung cancer symptoms guide!