The spread of cancer in the body is determined by the stage of the tumor.
NSCLC allot four stages to cancer based on severity:
- Stage I – Confined to the lungs
- Stage II and III – Confined to the chest with larger and more invasive tumors being stage III
- Stage IV – Here cancer has spread to other parts of the body
The SCLC has a different staging process:
- 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