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How is lung cancer diagnosed or evaluated?
The diagnosis of lung cancer is made through the use of:
- patient history of lung cancer symptoms
- chest x-rays
- thoracentesis (the use of a needle to remove a small sample of the fluid that surrounds the lungs to check for cancer cells)
- CT scan of chest
- biopsy of any suspicious lymph nodes
- flexible bronchoscopy (obtaining lung specimens using a special bronchoscope),
- transbronchial needle aspiration (a procedure performed using a special needle, which is passed through the a bronchoscope)
- fine-needle aspiration biopsy
- other biopsy techniques that are specific the to type and location of the lung cancer
Lung cancer stage is the grade given based on the extent of the disease. Staging is done to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body.
The International Staging System is the most widely accepted staging system for non-small cell lung cancer. There are four stages in this system.
- Stage one lung cancer: Lung cancer has not spread and is confined to one area.
- Stage two lung cancer: Localized tumors for which surgical removal is the preferred treatment.
- Stage three lung cancer: Divided into IIIA (tumors that can be removed) and IIIB (tumors that are not removable, but have not spread to other body regions).
- Stage four lung cancer: Lung cancer has spread to other body regions. Stage 4 lung cancer can spread to the blood, lymph nodes, bones, and brain, among other body organs.
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