Lung cancer

What is lung cancer?

• Primary lung cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in one or both lungs¹
• Secondary lung cancer develops when cancer cells from another type of cancer, e.g. breast cancer, travel to the lungs via the bloodstream¹

Types of lung cancer

• There are three main types of lung cancer:²
  • Non-small-cell lung cancer²
  • Small-cell lung cancer²
  • Lung carcinoid tumour²
• Types of lung cancer are classified according to the cells in which the cancer starts³

Who gets lung cancer?

• Lung cancer is more common in people aged over 65 years, and the average age at diagnosis is 70 years^3,4
• It is much more common in males than in females^5,6
• It is far more common in smokers than in non-smokers^3,7
• It is the most common cancer worldwide⁸
• 8 million new cases were diagnosed worldwide in 2012⁸

Screening, detection, and diagnosis

• Chest X-ray, sputum tests, and low-dose spiral CT have been studied to see whether they reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer; low-dose spiral CT screening is the only test that might decrease this risk, in heavy smokers⁹
• The following tests may be used to diagnose lung cancer:
  • Imaging tests such as X-ray, CT, and PET¹⁰
  • Biopsy taken during bronchoscopy procedure¹⁰
  • Other types of biopsy⁸

Patient guidelines

A patient guideline is a document containing information for patients and their families about their disease and the treatment options available to them

Here is a link to the European patient guideline on non-small-cell lung cancer¹¹

Local support groups

Contacting a support group may help you during diagnosis and treatment and afterwards

Infographics

Incidence of lung cancer in Europe⁵