The two most common types of lung cancer are non–small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.

Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer – around 80-85% of all cases. There are three main subtypes of NSCLC: 

• Adenocarcinoma – the most common form of lung cancer in general, as well as in women and non-smokers

• Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) – quite common in smokers, and men are more likely to develop SCC than women

• Large cell carcinoma (LCC) – the fastest growing subtype of NSCLC and may grow to a very large size before causing any symptoms

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for about 15% of all lung cancers. SCLC behaves more aggressively than NSCLC. The cancer cells divide more rapidly to form large tumours that can spread throughout the body before being detected.