Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the United States with cigarettes being the main factor. Treatment may consist of a combination of surgery, chemotherapy or x-ray radiation.
There are three main types of lung cancer: 1. the most common type is called non-small cell cancer. The names associated with this cancer are Squamous cell cancer, Adenocarcinoma and Large cell cancer. 2. Small cell(oat cell) cancerhas a very poor prognosis and tends to spread quickly. 3. Carcinoid tumor of the lung is rare comprising of less than 5% of cances. It grows slowly and rarely spreads.
The general outlook is rather poor due to inability to find the cancer until it has spread. For early stage lung cancer the 5 year survival rate is about 40 to 50%, but drops significantly to under 5% if it considered advanced.
If one has this diagnosis they should apply for Social Security disability. The process involves gathering all your medical evidence from your treating physicians. It is very important that a biopsy of the cancer be included as well as any evidence of spread of the cancer to other organs.
Social Security will grant you benefits if the cancer is considered inoperable or not amenable to surgery(that is if it cannot be removed by surgery). In addition, if the cancer recurs after being treated or shows evidence of spread then benefits will be granted.