Lung Cancer Information

Lung cancer is classified by the type of cell that produces the tumor. 90% are small cell or non-small cell. The remaining 10% is composed of very rare types such as mixed carcinoid or neuroendocrine tumors.

Furthermore, the lung is a very frequent metastasis. But these are not true tumors of the lung, but plantings of cancers of other organs, such as the breast or intestine.

Small Lung Cancer Cell (microcytic)
It is named after the cell size view microscope. It is almost invariably associated with smoking and it is estimated that about 20% of all cancers are small cell. They multiply rapidly and can form large tumors, plus their ability to spread to other organs is increased. The small cell is almost always a very aggressive tumor.

Metastases tend to affect the following organs: lymph nodes, bone, brain, adrenal glands and liver. The primary tumor usually originates near the bronchi and spreads into the center of the lungs.

Non-small Lung Cancer Cell
This cancer accounts for almost 80% of all lung cancers. It spreads more slowly than small cell and occasionally may occur in nonsmokers.

There are several varieties of cancer non-small cell lung cancer. The two most common are squamous cell carcinoma or squamous cell and adenocarcinoma. The first is the most common and, as the small cell, usually arises from the deep lung, in the center of the chest. Adenocarcinoma is more rare and usually the type of lung tumor suffered by nonsmokers. It tends to arise from the more peripheral parts of the lung, close to the chest wall.