Stage 3A, 3B and 3C

Stage 3A can mean different things.

The cancer is up to 5cm in size and has spread to the lymph nodes in the centre of the chest on the same side as the tumour.

Or it is between 5cm and 7cm and there is more than one tumour in the same lung:

Or the cancer has spread into one or more of the following areas:

Or your cancer is larger than 7 cm. It hasn’t spread into lymph nodes but has spread into one or more of the following areas:

Or your cancer is in more than one lobe of the same lung and there might also be cancer cells in lymph nodes close to the affected lung.

Stage 3B can also mean different things.

Your cancer is less than 5cm and has spread into lymph nodes in one of these places:

Or your cancer is between 5cm to 7cm and has spread into lymph nodes in the centre of the chest.

Or the cancer is any size, has spread into lymph nodes in the centre of the chest, and has spread into one or more of the following areas:

Or stage 3B means that your cancer has spread into the lymph nodes in the centre of the chest. The lung tumour is more than 7cm or it has spread into a major structure in your chest such as:

Stage 3C can also mean different things.

Your cancer is between 5cm and 7cm in size or has spread into one or more of the following:

  • the nerve close to the lung (phrenic nerve)
  • the covering of the heart (parietal pericardium)
  • and it has spread into lymph nodes:

Or there is more than one tumour in a different lobe of the same lung.

Or stage 3C can mean the cancer is bigger than 7cm or it has spread into one of the following:

Or there are tumours in more than one lobe of the lung.

 

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