My doctor says there are two types of lung cancer. The cancer cells of each type grow and spread in different ways, and the are treated differently.
Most lung cancers are nonsmall cell.
For men, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common kind of lung cancer. It does not spread as quickly as other types, and it usually starts in the bronchi. For women and for nonsmokers, the most common type of lung cancer is andenocarcinoma. It usually starts around the outer edge of the lungs and under the lining of the bronchi. About one fourth of the newly diagnosed lung cancer cases are small cell carcinomas - a type of lung cancer in which the cells are small and round.