Stage 3 NSCLC
There are three subtypes of stage 3 NSCLC:
Stage 3A
In this stage, the lung cancer tumor is usually 5 cm or smaller and has spread to lymph nodes close to the location of the origin tumor. Mostly, the lymph nodes in the trachea, aorta of the heart or where the trachea splits into bronchi. Also, the cancer has at least one of the following characteristics:
- The cancer 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 is deflated or develops pneumonitis.
When the cancer has gotten to the lymph nodes around the bronchus or inside the lung, it has the following characteristics:
- The tumor is larger than 5 cm but smaller than 7 cm.
- At least one extra tumor has developed in the same location as the real tumor.
- The cancer has gotten to at least one of the following places: 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
When the cancer spreads to the lymph nodes near the bronchus or in the lungs, it meets one of these criteria:
- The lung cancer tumor is bigger than 7 cm.
- At least one extra tumor has developed in a different lobe, or different portion of the lung than where the original tumor was detected.
- The lung cancer tumor is any size and has spread to the trachea, carina or esophagus [4] and other parts of the body.
Stage 3B
In this stage, the lung cancer tumor is 5 cm or smaller, and it has gotten to the lymph nodes above the collarbone in the same area of the chest as the original tumor, or lymph nodes on the other side of the chest. The cancer has the following characteristics:
- The cancer has spread to the main bronchus, but not the carina.
- The cancer has spread to the innermost tissue wrapping around the lung.
- A part of the lung develops pneumonitis and deflates.
In other cases, the lung tumor is any size and has spread to the lymph nodes on the same side of the chest as the original tumor (near the aorta or the heart, the trachea or where the trachea divides to form the bronchi). Also, the cancer meets one of the following criteria:
- At least an extra tumor has developed in the same or a different lobe of the lung as the original tumor.
- The lung cancer tumor has spread to the wall of the chest, the inner lining of the chest wall, the diaphragm or the nerve that controls the diaphragm, among other places.
Stage 3C
The tumor at this stage has no specific size and spread to the lymph nodes on the same side or the other side of the chest. At this stage, at least one of these criteria should be met:
- Another tumor has developed in the same or a different lobe of the lung.
- The lung cancer tumor has spread to the wall of the chest, the inner lining of the chest wall, the diaphragm or the nerve that innervates the diaphragm, among other places.