What are the current diagnostic stages of lung cancer?

What are the current diagnostic stages of lung cancer?

Jay M. Lee (Surgical Director, Thoracic Oncology Program, UCLA) gives expert video advice on: How is lung cancer diagnosed?; What are some common non-surgical procedures used to diagnose lung cancer?; Can waiting for a lung cancer diagnosis cause a dangerous delay in treatment? and more...

There are several stages of lung cancer, stages 1, 2, 3 & 4. And within those stages 1, 2 & 3 there are subtypes A & B. Its a complex staging system that physicians use as a common language to predict prognosis. This is based on what's called a TNM staging. T is referred to as the tumor, which is the lung tumor itself and it describes the location and the local advancement of the tumor. It describes what the lung cancer itself is currently. N staging is the nodule staging that refers to lymph nodes not only in the lung but also lymph nodes in the center of the chest, called the mediastinum. And finally M sub classification refers to metastasis. So the combination of TNM will define what stage you are, whether it be 1, 2, 3 or 4.