Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and women; it is the number one cause of death from cancer each year in both men and women.

According to the American Cancer Society, 238,340 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. While cigarette smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, exposure to asbestos, radon, environmental factors and second hand smoke can also cause lung cancer.

There are two main types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. These names refer to how a cancer looks under the microscope.

Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer and accounts for 84 percent of cases. There are different types of non-small cell lung cancer, including:

• Adenocarcinoma - a cancer that forms in the outer parts of the lung.
• Squamous cell carcinoma - a cancer that forms from a cell lining the airway.
• Large cell carcinoma - a kind of non-small cell lung cancer, but the cell it starts from may not be known.

Small cell lung cancer is less common and accounts for 13 percent of cases. Although the cells are small, they multiply quickly and can form large tumors that may spread throughout the body. This type of lung cancer is almost always due to smoking.