Non-small cell lung cancer is an umbrella term for several types of lung cancers. Small cell lung cancer occurs almost exclusively in heavy smokers and is less common than non-small cell lung cancer. The two general types of lung cancer include: Your doctor makes treatment decisions based on which major type of lung cancer you have. Types of lung cancerĭoctors divide lung cancer into two major types based on the appearance of lung cancer cells under the microscope. Over time, the damage causes cells to act abnormally and eventually cancer may develop.
But with each repeated exposure, normal cells that line your lungs are increasingly damaged. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately.Īt first your body may be able to repair this damage. How smoking causes lung cancerĭoctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. In these cases, there may be no clear cause of lung cancer. But lung cancer also occurs in people who never smoked and in those who never had prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke. Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers - both in smokers and in people exposed to secondhand smoke.
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