Stages of Small Cell Lung Cancer

Once small cell lung cancer has been found, more tests will be done to find out if cancer cells have spread from one or both lungs to other parts of the body (staging).

A doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan treatment. The following stages are used for small cell lung cancer:

Limited Stage: Cancer is found only in one lung and in nearby lymph nodes. (Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body. They produce and store infection-fighting cells.)

Extensive Stage: Cancer has spread outside of the lung where it began to other tissues in the chest or to other parts of the body.

Recurrent Stage: Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the lungs or in another part of the body.