Stage 4 Lung Cancer and Survival Rate

The most advanced case of lung cancer is called stage 4 lung cancer. Stage 4 lung cancer survival rate is below 5 percent. This type of cancer occurs when the malignant cancer cells have spread towards other tissues or organs of the body. The process of the replacement of malignant cells to the other parts of the body is called metastasis. The ratio of survival greatly depends upon the spread of the cancer cells. The cancerous tumor may spread towards the brain, adrenal glands, bones and the liver as well.

Cancer Awareness

Stage 4 cancer of the lung should not genuinely enlarge to a later stage. For most cases of this type of cancer, early detection is very crucial. Symptoms like, persistent coughing, shortness in breath, strangeness in breathing and swallowing, hoarseness in the voice and intolerable pains in the chest are symptoms of cancer of the lung.

During this stage, the survival rate for this type of cancer is much unexpected. Agreeing to reliable statistics, there is only a 12% survival statistics for patients diagnosed.

When the tumor starts to spread towards the brain, foresight changes and severe headaches accompanied with seizure attacks may occur. When the liver and adrenal glands are affected by cancerous cells, the patient may taste a loss of appetite and weight loss. He may also taste having yellowish skin and abdominal pains.

One should remember that these symptoms are also common symptoms of other diseases. If you feel like being affected of a hazardous disease like cancer of the lung, you must immediately consult a curative professional. A licensed pulmonologist will give you some tests that will conclude if you genuinely have a tumor in your lungs.

Multiple tests are given for someone who is suspected to be having stage 4 lung cancers. Chest x-rays, Ct scans, Mri (magnetic resonance imaging) blood test and ultrasound are necessary tests to conclude if one genuinely has a cancerous tumor in his lungs. Every person is entitled to have a second idea if diagnosed of lung cancer. But one must remember that the last phase of cancer has a low narrative of treatment. Even if there are treatment methods available, these are only to slow down the growth of the tumor in the separate tissues and organs in his body.

The five-year survival rate of stage 4 cancer of the lung is just at 3 percent opening of survival. One must take note that these records were considered in the past 10 years. With the advancement of curative technology and improvised methods of treating cancer, stage 4 lung cancer survival rate can added be improved.