Lung cancer causes the most deaths due to cancer in Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Non-small cell cancer is the most common type of cancer of the lung and grows more slowly than other lung cancers. The prognosis of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer depends on the stage of the cancer and the locations of where it has spread.
Types
Adenocarcinomas grow in the outer parts of the lung. Squamous cell carcinomas grow on or near the bronchial tubes. Large cell carcinomas grow anywhere in the lung and are more likely to metastasize.
Causes
According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 90 percent of non-small cell lung cancers are caused by smoking tobacco.
Risk factors
People who are exposed to secondhand smoke, air pollution, asbestos and arsenic in drinking water are more likely to develop non-small cell lung cancer.
Symptoms
Symptoms of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer include chronic coughs, coughing up blood, trouble breathing, chest pain, bone and lymph node pain, weight loss and lumps in the breast.
Metastasis
Metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer occurs when cancerous cells implant in other parts of the body, commonly affecting nearby lymph nodes, the breast and liver and can complicate treatment.
Treatments
Treatments for mestastatic non-small cell lung cancer are more complex and may require combinations of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to kill cancerous cells.
Prognosis
According to the National Library of Medicine, survival rates 5 years after treatment are 50 percent for patients with stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer, less than 20 percent for stage III cancers and less than 5 percent for stage IV cancers.
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