Cancer Facts and Figures – Cancer Statistics 2010

The TNM system is used to describe the lung cancer staging system.  It is a classification system developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the Union Contre le Cancer (UICC).  According to this, T stands for Tumor size, N for node involvement and M for metastasis status:-

1. The tumor size is classified into TX, T0, Tis, T1, T2, T3, T4. TX being for the least infected and T4 for the most.
2. Regional lymph nodes are divided into NX, N0, N1, N2, N3. NX again being the weakest form of the disease and N3, the strongest.
3. Metastasis can be divided into MX, M0 and M1 with similar levels of intensity as the above two.

The lung cancer staging system can be defined by combining the stages that the above 3 points are at. It can accordingly be divided into:

a)      Stage Ia – T1, N0, M0

b)      Stage Ib – T2, N0, M0

c)      Stage IIa – N1, M0

d)     Stage IIb – T2, N1, M0 or T3, N0, M0

e)      Stage IIIa – T1-2, N2, M0 or T3, N1-2, M0

f)       Stage IIIb – T(any), N3, M0 or T4, N(any), M0

Stage IV – T(any), N(any), M1

The spread of cancer in the body is determined by the stage of the tumor.

NSCLC allot four stages to cancer based on severity:

1. Stage I – Confined to the lungs
2. Stage II and III – Confined to the chest with larger and more invasive tumors being stage III
3. Stage IV – Here cancer has spread to other parts of the body

The SCLC has a different staging process:

1. Limited stage (LS)- Cancer stays confined to the area of origin in the chest

Extensive stage (ES) – Cancer spreads to other parts of the body

To be diagnosed with lung cancer can be very devastating for a person and he/she might find it very hard to go through it alone. There are a large number of lung cancer support groups that can be found all over the internet. Here is a list of 5 such groups for people with lung cancer, survivors and their friends and family:

1. Lung Cancer Online
2. LUNGevity Foundaation
3. Lung Cancer Alliance
4. Around.org
5. Daily strength

All of these above support groups are a very good place to start for anybody who has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and wants support from fellow lung cancer patients.

When we look at lung cancer/smoking statistics the first thing we should notice is that 90% of death in men and 80% of death in women due to lung cancer is caused by smoking cigarettes and is likely to increase through 2010 and beyond.

1. Compared to people who do not smoke, men are 23 times more likely to get infected while in women the chances are 13 times more.
2. In the year 2003 alone, around 171,900 cases of lung cancer were diagnosed and nearly 157,200 of these cases resulted in death.
3. Reduction in smoking or using smokeless tobacco could prevent many of the approximate 12,300 new cases and 12,100 deaths caused by esophageal cancer.

There are many lung cancer radiation side effects. A few of them are listed here below:

1. During the initial stages of the treatment it is quite common to feel tired. The fatigue gradually increases and as time goes by it severely reduces ones ability to take part in normal everyday activities.
2. Hair loss in the chest wall area included inside the radiation field is common in some patients. Depending on the intensity of the radiation this may temporary or permanent.
3. Skin irritation always occurs after a few weeks of radiation treatment. This area may become reddened, dry, tender and itchy. During an extended period of treatment, this reaction may become quite severe.
4. It is quite common for patients to suffer from a temporary loss of appetite.
5. Esophagitis, inflammation of the esophagus, is quite common after radiotherapy and can be quite severe.
6. Radiation pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs, can also develop around 3 to 9 months after the therapy is over.

The process of spread of lung cancer to other parts of the body is termed as metastasis. The areas of tumor growth are called metatstases. As lung cancer spreads very early in its course, it is considered very threatening and is very difficult to treat. Lung cancer metastasis can occur to any organ of the body although the most commonly affected organs are the adrenal glands, brain, bones and liver.

The lungs are a very common place for metastasis from tumors in other parts of the body. Tumor metastases are made up of the same types of cells as the original or primary tumor. Example:- If prostate cancer spreads to the lungs via the bloodstream, it will be called metastatic prostate cancer in the lung and not be called lung cancer.