Stage 2 NSCLC
Stage 2 cases can be grouped into two subtypes, they include:
Stage 2A
In this stage, the lung cancer tumor is smaller than 5 cm, but bigger than 4 cm, and has not spread to the lymph nodes. Also, the cancer must have at least one of the following characteristics:
- The cancer has gotten to the main bronchus, but not the carina [2].
- The cancer has spread to the innermost tissue that covers the lung.
- The lung deflates or has pneumonitis.
Stage 2B
The lung cancer tumor is 5 cm or smaller and has spread to lymph nodes located near the location of the real tumor. The cancer at this stage has the following characteristics:
- It has spread to the main bronchus, but not the carina.
- The cancer has gotten to the innermost tissue that wraps around the lung.
- The lung deflates or develops pneumonitis (a condition caused by Inflammation).
The cancer might not get to the lymph nodes, but it must meet one of these criteria:
- At least an extra tumor has developed in the same portion of the lung where the original tumor was seen.
- The cancer has spread to at least one ot least one of the following: The wall of the chest, The inner lining of the chest wall, The tissue that lines the outside of the sac around the heart, The nerve controlling the diaphragm [3], or the muscle in between the chest and the abdomen