Lung Cancer

Fast Facts

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States.
Each year, about 197,000 people in the United States are told they have lung cancer, and about 136,000 people die from this disease.
Different people have different symptoms for lung cancer. Most people with lung cancer don't have symptoms until the cancer is advanced.

Types of Lung Cancers

UMGCCC oncology experts partner with the University of Maryland Medical Center's thoracic surgery team to treat the two types of lung cancer:

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

This umbrella term can be broken down into many different types. The first three are the most common:

Adenocarcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
Large cell carcinoma
Pleomorphic
Carcinoid tumor
Unclassified carcinoma

Small Cell Lung Cancer

This less common type of lung cancer typically appears in heavy smokers. There are two types of small cell lung cancer:

Small cell carcinoma (oat cell cancer)
Combined small cell carcinoma

Lung Cancer Screening

Screening means testing for a disease when there are no symptoms or history of that disease. Doctors recommend a screening test to find a disease early, when treatment may work better.

The only recommended screening test for lung cancer is low-dose computed tomography (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT). During an LDCT scan, you lie on a table and an x-ray machine uses a low dose (amount) of radiation to make detailed images of your lungs. The scan only takes a few minutes and is not painful.

Who Should Be Screened

The US Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) recommends yearly lung cancer screening with LDCT for people who:

Have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history, and
Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and
Are between 50 and 80 years old.

A pack-year is smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.

Lung Cancer Resources

UMMS Cancer Support Group

Our Cancer Support Group is a free, self-care skills class and group discussion offering information and support for cancer patients and survivors. In addition to networking and peer support, the group will discuss timely topics related to treatment and care.

Meeting Date and Time

The group meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in person in the Tate Cancer Center first floor conference room. For more information, please call 410-553-8179.