Staging Small Cell Lung Cancer [20]

Staging is the process of finding out how far the cancer has spread. This process is very important because the stage of your cancer will determine your treatment. Your doctor will run a number of tests to determine the stage of your cancer. There are different staging systems for small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. The following describes the staging system for small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

For small cell lung cancer a 2-stage system is most often used.

• Limited stage — Typically, this stage means that the cancer is only in 1 lung. The cancer may have also spread to the lymph nodes on the same side of the chest.
• Extensive stage — In this stage, the cancer has spread to the other lung, to lymph nodes on the other side of the chest, or to distant organs. If the cancer has spread to the fluid around the lung, it may be considered extensive disease.

Unfortunately, many people with small cell lung cancer will already have extensive disease when it is found.

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