Lung Cancer
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Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than 170,000 new cases each year. It is also the leading cause of death from cancer.
Early detection can dramatically improve survival, although the disease is usually well advanced at the time of diagnosis because it has no symptoms in its early stages. Columbia operates a robust screening program for patients at risk for lung cancer and a comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment program for patients with advanced disease.
Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer. It often grows and spreads less rapidly than small cell lung cancer. There are three types of non-small cell lung cancer — squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. Small cell lung cancer is less common than non-small cell lung cancer. It grows more rapidly and is more likely to spread to other organs in the body.
Lung cancer usually begins in one lung. If left untreated, it can spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the chest, including the other lung. Lung cancer can also spread throughout the body to the bones, brain, liver or other organs.
Lung cancer survival is related to the cancer's stage—the size and location of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread to surrounding lymph nodes, and whether it has spread to distant sites.
When lung cancer is treated in its earliest stage, cure rate approaches 70% of patients or more. The tumor's size also impacts survival. The survival rate is lower for patients whose tumors are greater than 3cm in diameter than for those with smaller tumors. It is unknown whether detecting a tumor when it is smaller than 3cm confers an impact on survival.
Read about treatments.
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