Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is staged by tumor size, level of spread to the lymph nodes and spread to other organs:

• Stage 0. Cancer is located in the air passages only. No lung tissue is affected. Cancer treated at this stage can often be cured.
  
  
• Stage I. Cancer is in the lung tissue only. Lymph nodes are not affected.
  
  
• Stage II. Cancer is located in the lung and nearby lymph nodes and the chest wall.
  
  
• Stage IIIA. Cancer is located in the lung and distant lymph nodes.
  
  
• Stage IIIB. Cancer is located in the lung and spread locally to the heart, blood vessels, trachea and esophagus within the chest wall.
  
  
• Stage IV. Cancer may be located in both lungs and has spread to distant organs such as the liver, brain or bones.
  
  
• Recurrent. Cancer that recurs after treatment and may return to the lung or other parts of the body.

Stages 0 through IIIA are potentially resectable, meaning they can be surgically removed. Stages IIIB and IV are generally treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy and other treatments. Radiation and/or chemotherapy may be combined with surgery to either reduce the size of a tumor and to improve surgical results.

The five-year survival rate for non-small cell lung cancer is as follows: