Definition:
Squamous cell lung cancer is a form of non-small cell lung cancer. Eighty percent of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancers, and of these, about 30% are squamous cell.
These cancers usually begin in the bronchial tubes (large airways) in the central part of the lungs. Many people have symptoms early on, commonly hemoptysis (coughing up blood).
Squamous cell lung cancer used to be the most common form of lung cancer, but its incidence has decreased since filtered cigarettes have been available. One thought is that filtered cigarettes allow cigarette smoke to penetrate more deeply into the lungs beyond the region of the bronchial tubes, where cancer types such as adenocarcinoma are more common.
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Also Known As: epidermoid carcinoma
