What Are The Different Stages Of Lung Cancer?
The stages of lung cancer refer to whether the cancer has spread in lungs or through out the body. For the evaluation of this, bone scan, ultrasound or CT scan may be recommended. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation can all be used to treat lung cancer. How they are used, individually or in combination, is determined by how far the cancer has progressed. Stage I: The cancer is located only in the lung, and has not spread to the lymph nodes. The treatment recommended is: surgical removal of the tumor. Stage II: The cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures where cells are stored; nodes can trap cancer cells or bacteria travelling through the body. Depending on the size of the nodes on a CAT scan, a doctor may recommend an additional test, called mediastinoscopy. This test is a minor operation to examine the lymph nodes in the chest and perform a biopsy on them. A mediastinoscopy can determine whether the nodes actually have cancer in them
