Stage II Lung Cancer: The cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes found in the chest near the lungs. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures where cells are stored; nodes can trap cancer cells or bacteria traveling through the body. Depending on the size of the nodes on a CAT scan, your doctor may recommend an additional test, called a mediastinoscopy. This test is a minor operation to examine the lymph nodes in the chest and perform a biopsy on them. A mediastinoscopy can determine whether the nodes actually have cancer in them, or are enlarged only because of inflammation associated with cancer. If this procedure shows no traces of cancer in these lymph nodes, the treatment recommendation would most likely be surgery on the main tumor followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy for the lymph nodes. Stage III-A Lung Cancer The cancer is found in the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest away from the lungs. Stage III lung cancer has two "types":If the cancer is a single tumor, or mass, it is called Stage III-A. Most doctors will recommend beginning treatment for Stage III-A with chemotherapy, or a combination of anti-cancer drugs, and radiation. Then, depending on how well the treatment has worked, they may remove the remaining tumor with surgery. This combination of chemotherapy with surgery or radiation offers the best possibilities for cure. |