What should you know about non small carcinoma lung cancer?

The name covers several cancers, including adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. A pathology report identifies the cell pattern, while scans show where the disease is located. Staging considers the primary lung tumour, nearby lymph nodes, and spread to organs such as the brain. Tumour testing may look for genetic changes that help match treatment to the cancer’s biology.

Symptoms can include a persistent cough, breathlessness, chest discomfort, coughing blood, tiredness, or a hoarse voice. These symptoms have many possible causes; a hoarse voice can be explored separately in our guide to Hoarse Voice.

Ask for the pathology and scan findings in plain language, including the cancer subtype and stage. Your team may recommend genomic tumour profiling before choosing systemic treatment. Depending on the findings, options can include surgery such as Lung Lobectomy, Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, or a combination. Treatment planning also considers breathing capacity, other conditions, medicines, and your priorities.

Keep a written list of symptoms and medicines, bring someone to appointments if helpful, and ask who to contact between visits. Palliative Care can support breathlessness, pain, appetite, sleep, and emotional strain at any stage alongside cancer treatment.

Seek urgent medical help for severe or rapidly worsening breathlessness, coughing that brings up more than a small amount of blood, new confusion, fainting, sudden weakness, a seizure, or a severe headache with vomiting. New neurological symptoms can require assessment for spread to the brain, including Brain Metastases. Contact your oncology team promptly for fever during treatment, chest pain, or a sudden decline in your ability to manage usual activities.

Which subtype and stage does the pathology and imaging show? Has genomic tumour profiling been completed? Is surgery suitable, and what would it involve? What benefits and side effects should I expect from each proposed treatment? Which symptoms should prompt an urgent call?