A diagnosis of lung cancer and just what your doctor will do in the way of lung cancer treatments are among the most devastating, life-impacting news a patient may experience. According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in the United States. And cancer specialists say that while up to 56% of patients live five years or more if the disease is caught at an early stage, but that only around 16% of patients are diagnosed early. And of those patients where the cancer has spread, less than 5% survive.

There are fundamentally two types of lung cancer small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the two cancers can have similar symptoms, for example:

• Loss of appetite
• Blood in coughed up mucus
• Chest pain
• Persistent cough
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Continuous and persistent tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Swelling, particularly on the face and neck

Only a cancer specialist can diagnose whether you have either small cell or large cell lung cancer. Your doctor will usually:

• A thorough physical exam
• Have X-rays taken of your lungs
• Order laboratory tests
• Test your mucus
• Perform a biopsy

It is only after completing all these tests, that your doctor can give you a thorough treatment plan that may include:

1. Surgery
Although there are other methodologies, treatment for non-small lung cancer usually involves a limited amount of surgery to remove cancerous tissues.

2. Chemotherapy and radiation
Surgery is often followed up by chemotherapy and perhaps radiation. A small cell lung cancer diagnosis usually is limited to surgery and chemotherapy. Your doctor will decide what combination of treatment methodologies to apply.

Patients diagnosed with small cell lung cancer need to be aware that they have a fast-growing cancer that can quickly spread to other parts of the body. Also, in both cases, it depends upon how advanced the cancer was when initially diagnosed. Again, for the vast majority of patients, the cancer has spread significantly before they ever even see a physician. And although the mortality rate patients with lung cancers are measured in 5-year increments, a great many patients do in fact live longer than five years.