Stage 3 Lung Cancer

Stage 3 lung cancer has started to spread outside of the lungs to other parts of the body. However, patients can still get treated to hopefully improve life expectancy or even become long-term survivors. Lung Cancer Group can help you get compensation to pay for life-extending stage 3 lung cancer treatments and other bills if you qualify.

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Written and Fact-Checked by: Lung Cancer Group

Last updated: October 2, 2023

Top Topics:

Symptoms
Treatments
Prognosis
Help for Stage 3 Lung Cancer

About Stage 3 Lung Cancer

Stage 3 lung cancer (also known as locally advanced lung cancer) has begun to spread beyond the lungs to other organs in the chest.

Stage 3 lung cancer tumors may be found in:

Bronchus (main airway of lungs)
Diaphragm (muscle that helps with breathing)
Esophagus
Heart and heart lining (pericardium)
Lymph nodes in either side of the chest
Mediastinum
Pleura (lung lining) and chest wall
Spine

However, lung cancer tumors haven’t yet reached distant parts of the body like the brain.

Stage 3 lung cancer is harder to treat than the earlier stages of lung cancer. That said, patients have lived for over 2 years to nearly 4 years thanks to different treatments according to recent studies, with some becoming long-term survivors.

Lung Cancer Group can help you or a loved one afford treatments for stage 3 lung cancer if you qualify. Learn more with a free case review now.

Stage 3 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

When making a diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), doctors follow the Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging system.

Using this system, doctors will see where and how big a lung cancer tumor is to determine if a patient has stage 3 NSCLC.

There are 3 substages of stage 3 NSCLC:

Stage 3A: These tumors are 3 to 7 centimeters wide. 1 or more lung cancer nodules (growths) are found on the lung. The cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes on the side of the body closest to the tumors.
Stage 3B: These are similar in size to stage 3A NSCLC tumors. 2 or more nodules have grown on the lung. The cancer may be found in lymph nodes on both sides of the chest.
Stage 3C: Tumors range in size from 5-7 centimeters (or larger). Doctors find at least 2 nodules on the lung and the cancer could be in lymph nodes on either side of the chest wall.

Stage 3 Small Cell Lung Cancer

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) notes that the TNM system is almost never used to stage cases of small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Instead, SCLC cases are either in a limited stage (contained to the chest) or an advanced stage (spread to other parts of the body like both lungs, heart, or brain).

The limited stage is equivalent to stages 0-3 of the TNM system, according to ASCO.

Symptoms of Stage 3 Lung Cancer

Because stage 3 lung cancer has begun to spread into organs within the chest, patients may start to develop symptoms of lung cancer (if they haven’t already), or experience worsening symptoms.

Common stage 3 lung cancer symptoms include:

A cough that won’t go away and has blood in it
Fatigue
Headache
Hoarseness
Numbness in the hands and arms
Pain in the bones or chest
Shortness of breath
Swollen lymph nodes
Weakness
Weight loss

If you have any of these symptoms and were exposed to possible causes of lung cancer (such as cigarette smoke or asbestos) earlier in your life, make sure to see a doctor immediately to get diagnosed.

Diagnosing Lung Cancer Stage 3

Doctors typically use a series of tests to diagnose lung cancer at any stage.

Stage 3 lung cancer diagnostic tests commonly include:

A basic physical exam
Imaging scans like X-rays, CT scans, or PET scans
A biopsy (removal of fluid/tissue sample to look for cancer cells)

A biopsy is the only way to confirm if a patient has lung cancer or not.

ASCO also notes that doctors will want to use additional tests to see if a patient’s cancer has advanced to stage 3 NSCLC. These could include a CT scan of the abdomen and a PET or MRI scan of the brain.

Treatment Options for Stage 3 Lung Cancer

Treatment options for stage 3 lung cancer depend on your health, age, and how much the cancer has spread. Learn about the most common stage 3 lung cancer treatments below.

Lung Cancer Surgery

Lung cancer surgery involves removing lung cancer tissue from your lungs and nearby tissues.

You may qualify for surgery if you have stage 3A NSCLC, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Doctors will then recommend other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation to help boost the effects of the surgery.

If you have SCLC, doctors may recommend surgery if they believe it’s possible to completely remove the cancer tumors.

Get help affording surgery and other treatments for stage 3 lung cancer right now with our team’s help.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses X-rays and other types of energy to damage lung cancer cells’ genetic material.

In cases of stage 3A and 3B NSCLC, doctors may use radiation and chemotherapy together (chemoradiation) to help patients live longer. Sometimes, radiation therapy is the main treatment used for stage 3 NSCLC, depending on the patient’s overall health.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) notes that doctors often combine chemotherapy and radiation to treat limited stage SCLC, and some patients are given radiation to the brain after this to make sure the cancer doesn’t spread there.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to kill rapidly growing cells in your body.

Chemotherapy is often a main treatment for stage 3 lung cancer and is typically used alongside radiation. However, some patients may only receive chemotherapy.

Oncologists (cancer doctors) can use chemotherapy before or after surgery to help destroy both NSCLC and SCLC. These are known as neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, respectively.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy treatments help the immune system fight cancer.

Among stage 3 NSCLC patients, immunotherapy is typically used as a follow-up treatment. It may also be used as a patient’s main treatment course if other therapies like surgery aren’t an option, according to the ACS.

The ACS also notes that two drugs — Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) and Imfinzi® (durvalumab) — can be used to treat SCLC.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy treats lung cancer by attacking specific genes and proteins that control how cancer cells grow and spread.

According to the ACS, a targeted therapy drug called osimertinib could help stage 3A NSCLC patients with certain gene mutations in some cases.

Stage 3 Lung Cancer Prognosis

A stage 3 lung cancer prognosis depends on your age, treatment plan, health, and substage. You may live longer if you have stage 3 NSCLC (since SCLC is more aggressive), are younger, and get multimodal treatment (where several treatments are used together).

Learn about stage 3 lung cancer life expectancies and survival rates — the two key ways a prognosis is measured — below.

Stage 3 Lung Cancer Life Expectancy

Patients with stage 3 lung cancer can live for many months or years if they get treatment.

Did You Know?

In a 2022 clinical trial, stage 3 NSCLC patients who received chemotherapy lived for 29 months on average. But, when the immunotherapy drug Durvalumab (Imfinzi®) was added to the treatment plan, patients lived for an average of 47.5 months.

Among limited stage SCLC patients, the average life expectancy was 28-30 months when treated with radiation therapy in a 2023 Journal of Clinical Oncology report.

If you’re looking to improve your stage 3 lung cancer life expectancy, you’ll need to get treated. Statistics measuring stage 3 lung cancer life expectancy with treatment are much higher than those without treatment.

Get help affording the treatments you need with a free case review from Lung Cancer Group.

Stage 3 Lung Cancer Survival Rate

Survival rate is the number of people still alive after a certain time since their diagnosis. Stage 3 lung cancer patients typically have better survival rates with treatment.

In a 2023 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, stage 3 NSCLC patients who received chemotherapy and then surgery had a 2-year survival rate of 63.6%.

When patients also received immunotherapy before surgery, the 2-year survival rate jumped to 85%.

The hospital network City of Hope notes that limited stage SCLC has a 5-year survival rate of 18% if it has spread to nearby body parts. A 2023 Journal of Clinical Oncology study noted that 5-year SCLC survival rates increased to 29-32% when radiation was used.

Find Help After a Stage 3 Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Dealing with a stage 3 lung cancer diagnosis can be daunting because even with insurance, treatment costs can add up. This can add extra stress on top of an already life-threatening situation.

You don’t have to fight stage 3 lung cancer by yourself. Lung Cancer Group can help you get financial aid, allowing you to afford the medical treatments and any other expenses that you and your family must now deal with.

Contact our team now to learn if you are eligible to get compensation for stage 3 lung cancer treatments. Our dedicated Patient Advocates are standing by to help you.

Stage 3 Lung Cancer FAQs

What is the life expectancy of stage 3 lung cancer?

The life expectancy of stage 3 lung cancer patients ranges depending on the treatments you receive.

A 2022 study found that stage 3 NSCLC patients who got immunotherapy and chemotherapy lived for 47.5 months on average. Limited-stage SCLC (the equivalent of stage 3 NSCLC) has an average life expectancy of 28-30 months if radiation therapy is used.

Is stage 3 cancer terminal?

No, stage 3 lung cancer is not always terminal. It’s possible to live for many years in some cases if you have stage 3 lung cancer. You could even become a stage 3 lung cancer survivor.

To have the best chances of surviving stage 3 lung cancer, you’ll need to get aggressive treatments. Call (877) 446-5767 to learn how you can afford medical care.

Why is stage 3 lung cancer inoperable?

Stage 3 lung cancer may or may not be inoperable with surgery. It depends on how far the cancer has spread within the body.

Depending on the size of the tumors and how far they’ve spread, doctors won’t be able to get all of them out with surgery which makes the treatment ineffective.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) notes that patients with stage 3A NSCLC may still be able to get surgery, but those with stage 3B or higher might not be.