Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women according to the American Cancer Society, is the most preventable cancer since 8 out of 10 cases occur in people who smoke tobacco products. The symptoms of lung cancer include a worsening cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, weight loss, coughing up blood and unexplained fever. Upon diagnosis, the doctor describes the cancer by stages, which provide information on the size of the tumor, whether it has spread and, if so, where. Doctors also provide five-year survival rates, which is the percentage of patients who live at least five years following diagnosis, for each of the four stages.
Stage 1
In stage 1 lung cancer, the cancer is localized, meaning it has not spread to any neighboring lymph nodes. The tumor is still relatively small in this stage, remaining 5 centimeters or smaller, as reported by Cancer Research UK.
The information for five-year survival rates is specific for non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for 80 percent of all cancers, according to LungCancer.org. Cancer Research UK reports the five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer is 43 to 73 percent.
Stage 2
To differentiate the size and spread of the tumor, stage 2 lung cancer is divided into stage 2A and stage 2B. Those patients with stage 2A lung cancer have a tumor that is either between 5 and 7 centimeters large, or remains less than 5 centimeters, but has spread to the lymph nodes near the lung according to Cancer Research UK.
Stage 2B is characterized by tumors that are larger than 7 centimeters but remains localized in the lung. Tumors between 5 and 7 centimeters but have spread to nearby lymph nodes are also considered stage 2B.
Tumors that have not yet spread to the lymph nodes, but are detected in the chest wall, the diaphragm, the nerves that control breathing or the bronchial tube that leads to the lungs are considered stage 2B cancers. If there is more than one tumor on the same lobe of the lungs it is also stage 2B, no matter what the size of each tumor.
Patients diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer have a 25 to 36 percent chance of survival five years after diagnosis, as reported by Cancer Research UK.
Stage 3
Stage 3 lung cancer is also divided into stage 3A and 3B. Stage 3A occurs when the tumor is larger than 7 centimeters and has spread to the lymph nodes, chest wall, diaphragm or membranes surrounding the heart. When lung tumors of any size spread to the heart, trachea, esophagus, voice box, spinal cord or blood vessels, it is also considered stage 3A cancer.
The cancer reaches stage 3B when it spreads to the lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest from the original tumor or infects the lymph nodes and at least one of the following--chest wall, diaphragm, membranes around the heart or any other organ in the chest.
Because tumors in stage 3 are usually not surgically treated, Cancer Research UK reports that the five-year survival rate declines to 19 to 24 percent for stage 3A and 7 to 9 percent for stage 3B.
Stage 4
Stage 4 lung cancer means that either the cancer is found in both lungs or it has spread to other organs in the body including the liver, bones or brain. This stage is the most grave with a five-year survival rate of 2 percent or less according to The National Cancer Institute.
