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. 2020 Jun 18;12(6):1609. doi: 10.3390/cancers12061609

Table 1.

Subclassification of histological heterogeneity of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

NSCLC Subtype Percentage
(% Over NSCLC Cases)
Characteristics Ref.
Adenocarcinoma 40 Presents frequent histologic heterogeneity. Mainly affects the outer edges of the lung. [10,19]
Squamous cell carcinoma 30 Centrally located in the larger bronchi of the lung. The incidence is linked with smoking more than for other NSCLC cancers. [10,19]
Large cell carcinoma 10 Non-differentiated type of lung cancer that lacks the architecture of squamous or glandular differentiation. It usually affects the peripherical part of the lung. [10,19]
Adenosquamous carcinoma <5 It is a subtype presenting components of both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. [10,19,20]
Sarcomatoid carcinoma <1 Centrally located in the larger bronchi of the lung and the peripherical part of the lung. Hard to diagnose due to its unclear characteristics which are common to other cancer subtypes. [10,19]