Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer - Complications

(Page 2)

Highlights	Diagnostic Tests	Investigative Agents
Introduction	Staging Systems	Resources
Causes	Treatment Options by Stages	References
Symptoms	Surgical Procedures	References
Risk Factors	Radiation Treatments
Lifestyle Changes	Chemotherapy Treatments

T2 is further broken down in the new staging system. T2a refers to a tumor greater than 3 cm but less than or equal to 5 cm in diameter. T2b is greater than 5 cm but less than or equal to 7 cm.

In T3, a tumor is greater than 7 cm or has directly invaded any of the following:

Chest wall
Diaphragm
Membrane covering organs and structures in the chest
Outer wall of the membrane around the heart (pericardium)

In addition, one or more of the following conditions are present:

The tumor is in the main airway, less than 2 cm away from the carina, but is not in the trachea (windpipe).
The tumor is associated with a collapsed lung or swelling that blocks the entire lung.

text continues below

In T4, the tumor has invaded any of the following:

Area between the lungs (mediastinum)
Heart
Great vessels (the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart)
Carina, trachea, or esophagus
Main portion of the spine

In addition, one or both of the following occurs:

Separate tumors are present in the same lobe
The tumor is accompanied by an increased amount of fluid between the pleural membrane and the lung.

N followed by a number from 0 to 3 refers to whether the cancer has reached regional (in the area of tumor) lymph nodes.

In stage N0, the regional lymph nodes are still cancer-free.
In N1, the cancer has spread to the nearest lymph nodes around the airways, to the hilum (a central zone in the lung where blood and lymph vessels enter), or both. The tumor has extended directly into lymph nodes within the lung.
In N2, the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the middle of the chest next to the affected lung, to the nodes below the carina, or to both regions.
In N3 the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the middle of the chest that are next to the opposite lung, to the hilum in the opposite lung, to lymph nodes in nearby or opposite muscle tissue, or to lymph nodes above the collar bone.

M Stages refer to cancer spread (metastasis).

In M0, spread has not occurred.
In M1a, tumor nodules are present in the other lung or on the pleura (the sac surrounding the lungs), or a malignant pleural effusion (cancer cells in the fluid within the pleura) is present.
In M1b, distant spread has occurred.