Types of Lung Cancer: New Thinking You Need to Know
The type of lung cancer you’re diagnosed with affects your lung cancer treatment options. Learn more about different lung cancer types in this video.
In the past, lung cancer was considered to exist as two types of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. These two tumor types behave differently because they arise from different cell types. Before, treatment was decided based on the cell type and all patients with that cell type would be given the same treatment.
This categorization into two types has evolved throughout the years. Today, the medical field recognizes subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer as well. These include adenocarcinoma, which is the dominant type, squamous cell carcinoma, and other types that are less common such as a mixed type of lung cancer. In this case, a combination of the two different kinds of treatments would be used.
- Abraham Chachoua, MDDr. Chachoua is an oncologist at NYU Langone Health who specializes in treating cancers of the lung and chest.
References
American Lung Association. (2022). Diagnosing and treating lung cancer.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Lung Cancer: What Screening Tests are there?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). What are the risk factors for lung cancer?
National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Lung cancer-patient version.
National Cancer Institute. (2023). Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.