Stage 3 lung cancer refers to a broad category of lung cancers and can be further demarcated into stage 3A and stage 3B. In terms of progression of the disease, stage 3 is usually considered a locally advanced stage. What this means is that the cancerous tumor or tumors have not yet spread to distant parts of the body but have affected the lymph nodes located on the side where the tumor is located. While not curable, this stage of cancer is still considered treatable.
At the time of diagnosis, nearly thirty percent of people have stage 3 lung cancer. Symptoms will vary depending on whether the patient has reached stage 3A or 3B. During stage 3A of lung cancer, the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. In stage 3B, the tumor spreads to distant lymph nodes and may have invaded other organs such as the heart or the esophagus in the chest. Other signs of stage 3 lung cancers can be varied and normally include symptoms such as shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, chronic cough, and repeated chest infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Symptoms such as pain in the chest, ribs, and back, coughing up blood, and difficulty swallowing may occur. It is also common for lung cancer patients to experience symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, hoarse throat, drooping eyelid syndrome, and abnormal blood flow.
As with any stage of cancer, diagnosis is reached through a biopsy. In lung cancer cases, sputum cytology may also be required though the results are less conclusive than those of a needle biopsy. The extent of spread of the cancer or metastasis is also studied. The most common places that lung cancer spreads to are the brain, the bones and the liver. A CT scan is required to study the spread to the brain while a CT scan of the abdomen will indicate if the cancer has spread to the liver and glands.
Doctors are actively studying ways to treat stage 3 lung cancer patients.
Since the symptoms of this stage of lung cancer is so varied, the National Cancer Institute encourages that every patient with stage 3 lung cancer is eligible for clinical trials. This allows the patients access to the new treatments or medications for lung cancer.
Treatment will also depend on the patient's overall health and strength.
In some cases, stage 3 lung cancer patients may respond to surgery to remove the tumor. Chemotherapy following the surgery may also help treat the condition. However, in most cases, the tumor at this stage is inoperable and a combination of chemotherapy and radiation is prescribed instead. These may help reduce symptoms such as chest pain and breathing difficulties.
If the cancer goes into remission, doctors often follow chemo-radiation therapy with another type of radiation therapy known as prophylactic cranial irradiation. This helps prevent the cancer from spreading to the brain – a common progression for small cell lung cancers.
It is very difficult to reach an accurate prognosis for stage three lung cancer patients. Unfortunately, long-term survival is rare though the numbers all depend on a patient's overall health, age, and type of lung cancer. The overall survival rate for patients with stage 3A lung cancer is 23% and for stage 3B patients only 10%. However, these numbers can vary widely. Since the variables regarding size of tumor and extent of lymph node involvement also differs from patient to patient, it is impossible to reach a consensus about stage 3 lung cancer survival rates.
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