“You have lung cancer. » These are four words that no one wants to hear! In 2013, 159,480 deaths from lung cancer occurred in the United States. According to the Status of Lung Disease in Diverse Communities 2010, "survival rates for lung cancer tend to increase when cancer is detected at an early stage." According to X-Plain Patient Education, African Americans have the most common cases of lung cancer, while Hispanics have the least. The lungs are two cone-shaped, sponge-like organs located in the chest. The role of the lungs is to help you breathe. Oxygen enters the lungs and passes through the trachea. The trachea (also called the trachea) divides into two tubes called bronchi. When a patient has lung cancer, the cancer forms in the tissues of the lungs, most often in the cells that line the airways. Lung cancer occurs when cells in the lungs grow and multiply out of control. This damages surrounding tissues and interferes with the normal functions of the lungs. Lung cancer is a disease that has two main types, four main stages and the causes, symptoms and treatments of this disease have been widely researched (Henschke and McCarthy). First, there are two main types of lung cancer and four main stages of lung cancer. There are two types of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer (also known as "oat cell lung cancer"). Non-small cell lung cancer is more common than small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer usually spreads more slowly to different parts of the body than small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is more likely to spread to other organs in the body. Of people who develop small cell lung cancer, only about six percent survive five years. Some patients may develop lung cancer...... middle of paper ......r. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011. “Lung Cancer Center: Stages, Symptoms, Causes, Tests and Treatments.” WebMD. March 18, 2014. “Lung cancer.” NIHSeniorHealth. March 15, 2014. “Patient and Cancer Information.” Cancer treatment and cancer research. March 18, 2014. .Status of Lung Disease in Diverse Communities: 2010. New York, NY: American Lung Association, 2010. Teeley, Peter and Philip Bashe. The Complete Cancer Survivorship Guide: The most comprehensive, up-to-date guide for patients and their families: with advice from dozens of leading cancer specialists at more than 30 major cancer centers. New York: Doubleday. Lung cancer. Patient Education Institute, X-Plain Patient Education. Internet. March 18. 2014.