Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer There are three main types of NSCLC: adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The most common form is adenocarcinoma, accounting for 40 percent of all NSCLCs. Adenocarcinoma stems from abnormal growth of cells that lines the alveoli. Large cell carcinoma is the least common form of NSCLC and develops in a number of different types of large cells. Squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for 15 to 25 percent of NSCLC cases and is also known as epidermoid carcinoma, begins in the thin, flat squamous cells.
Diagnoses of these NSCLCs depend on the type of cancer cells that are present in the tumor(s), as well as the different manners in which the cancer metastasizes (spreads) and grows. Less common NSCLCs are carcinoid tumor, pleomorphic and salivary gland carcinoma.
Another form of asbestos cancer that is commonly confused with lung cancer, mesothelioma, affects the pleural lining that surrounds the lungs in its most common form, pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, which is directly related to asbestos exposure, is extremely rare—only 2,000 to 3,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Asbestos-related lung cancer that is not malignant mesothelioma is usually a form of SCLC.
While lung cancer is often thought of as a smoker's disease, smoking is not its only cause. There are a number of risks that may cause lung cancer, including age, smoking, and exposure to asbestos, radon or chemical agents such as Agent Orange or depleted uranium (DU).