Lung cancer prognosis tends to be better for people diagnosed in earlier stages of the disease.

Staging determines how advanced the cancer is and if it has spread.

Staging helps healthcare providers identify the most effective treatment options and your likely prognosis (outcome).

Healthcare provider reading lung scan results on a digital tablet screen

Visoot Uthairam / Getty Images

The two most common types of cancer are staged and treated differently.

The five-year relative survival rate describes how many people with lung cancer will still be alive after diagnosis.

SCLC occurs most often in smokers.

It is highly aggressive and spreads rapidly.

Extensive stage:Cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

It may affect both lungs and/or other organs.

Does lung cancer progress quickly?

Lung cancer often progresses quickly, depending on the throw in of lung cancer diagnosed.

Small cell lung cancer spreads more rapidly than non-small cell lung cancer.

On average, lung cancers double in size in approximately four to five months.

Where Does Lung Cancer Typically Spread?

Iflung cancerspreads elsewhere, it is still referred to as lung cancer.

Can you stop the progression of lung cancer?

Treatments such as chemotherapy,radiation, and surgery may stop the progression of lung cancer.

Targeted therapies used to prevent tumors from growing can slow the progression of lung cancer.

What to Expect

Lung cancer progressionvaries from person to person.

Thestagingand progression of these two types are different.

Staging helps healthcare providers identify the most effective treatment options to improve your outcome.

American Lung Association.Types of lung cancer.

National Cancer Institute.Surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program.

Merck Manual Professional Version.Lung carcinoma.

American Cancer Association.Non-small cell lung cancer stages.

National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ)- patient version.

American Lung Association.Key statistics for lung cancer.

American Lung Association.Lung cancer staging.

2015;7(Suppl 4):S231-S237.

2013;5(3):E83-E86.

2017;117(5):744-751. doi:10.1038/bjc.2017.232

Canadian Cancer Society.Prognosis and survival for lung cancer.

American Lung Association.What to expect from your lung cancer journey.