News & Information

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month! Maybe you have a friend or relative who’s suffering from lung cancer. Or maybe you’re a smoker wondering if you could be at risk. No matter who you are, this month is a good time to start learning about lung cancer, and deciding how you can get involved.

To start with, you should be familiar with the two main types of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell tumors. These cancers attack and grow in different ways and require different types of treatment.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for only about 20% of lung cancers, but it’s the most deadly, aggressive and fast-growing variety. Also called “oat cell” cancer because of its small round cells, SCLC occurs almost exclusively in smokers and spreads (metastasizes) rapidly to many different areas of the body.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NCSC) is the most common lung cancer, and includes three main types:

• Adenocarcinomas: This type of cancer (the most common U.S. lung cancer) usually attacks the outer area of the lungs and spreads to the lymph nodes. This strain of cancer is most often diagnosed in women and non-smokers.
• Squamous cell carcinomas attack the central chest area, starting with the bronchii and “eating out” the center of the lungs.
• Large cell or undifferentiated carcinomas, the least common type of NSCLC, are highly volatile and frequently spread to the lymph nodes and beyond.

In addition, tumors from anywhere else in the body may spread (metastasize) to the lungs.

Visit http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/ to learn how you can join the lung cancer awareness fight, get involved and make a difference.

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http://cancer.osu.edu/patientsandvisitors/cancerinfo/cancertypes/lung/faq/Pages/index.aspx