Four clinical classifications of lung cancer

The prognosis of lung cancer is not only related to early detection and treatment, but also to the clinical classification of lung cancer. The clinical classification of lung cancer mainly includes four categories: squamous cell carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and alveolar cell carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma

Also known as squamous cell carcinoma, it is the most common clinical type of lung cancer, accounting for about 50% of lung cancer patients. Most patients with squamous cell carcinoma are over 50 years old, and most of them are male. Although the degree of differentiation of squamous cell carcinoma varies, it generally grows and develops slowly, has a longer course of disease, and is more sensitive to radiation and chemotherapy.

Undifferentiated carcinoma

The incidence of undifferentiated lung cancer is second only to squamous cell carcinoma. It is also more common in men, but the age of onset is younger and it usually originates from larger bronchi. Undifferentiated cancer is more malignant, grows faster, and will metastasize to lymph nodes and blood vessels earlier. It is also more sensitive to radiation and chemotherapy, but has the worst prognosis among all types of lung cancer.

Adenocarcinoma

Adenocarcinomas mostly originate from the bronchial mucosal epithelium, and a few originate from the mucous glands of large bronchi. Its incidence is lower than that of squamous cell carcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma, and it occurs at a younger age, and is more common in women. Adenocarcinomas generally have no obvious clinical symptoms in the early stages and are often discovered during chest X-ray examinations. Adenocarcinomas generally grow slowly, but sometimes blood metastasis occurs in the early stages.

Alveolar cell carcinoma

Alveolar cell carcinoma originates from the bronchial mucosal epithelium, also known as bronchioalveolar cell carcinoma or bronchiolar adenocarcinoma. It has the lowest incidence among all types of lung cancer and is more common in women. It is generally highly differentiated and grows slowly. Its lymphatic and hematogenous metastasis occurs later, but it can spread to other lobes of the lung or invade the pleura through the bronchi. Alveolar cell carcinoma has two morphological types: nodular and diffuse. Among them, the limited nodular type has a better effect of surgical resection.