Small Cell Lung Cancer
Small cell lung cancer is when malignant cells are found in the lungs and accounts for 20% of all lung cancers including non-small lung cancer and mesothelioma or asbestos related lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is the most aggressive of the lung cancers and spreads very quickly. The main cause of small cell lung cancer is cigarettes.
There are numerous symptoms of small cell lung cancer such as coughing, chest pain and shortness of breath (
www.nci.nih.gov). Other symptoms include: wheezing, coughing up blood, hoarseness, swelling of the neck and face, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss and tiredness. If an individual begins to show these signs a doctor will need to run tests to verify if lung cancer is present.
There are numerous tests and ways the physician can identify if an individual has small cell lung cancer. These tests include: chest X-ray, bronchoscopy (when a special instrument is slid down the throat into the bronchi and cells and tissue is removed for testing (
webmd.com)), and there are many types of biopsies that can occur to test certain tissues for small cell lung cancer. Once there is a detection of the disease, the stage is diagnosed so that treatment can be determined.
Small cell lung cancer has two stages: limited and extensive. The limited stage is when the cancer is contained in the lung and possibly the lymph nodes, where it began its growth. The extensive stage is when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body besides the chest (
webmd.com). Treatment varies some depending on the stage of the cancer. Treatment may not cure the cancer and there is always a chance of re-growth.
There are three main types of treatments that are used to help treat small cell lung cancer, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery, and in most cases a combination of treatments are used. Surgical removal of the cancerous cells can only be preformed if the malignant cells have not spread outside the lung and lymph nodes (
health.yahoo.com). Surgery is usually only preformed during the limited stage with early detection. Radio therapy is used to treat small cell lung cancer by using x-rays or high radiation lights to kill the cancerous cells and tumors. Chemotherapy is another treatment option that is used to help suppress cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is taken by pill or injected and seeks out cancerous cells and destroys them (
webmd.com). There is constant new research being done and clinical trials in hope of a cure or a better treatment.
Survival rates vary on the stage, treatment and the individual person. The average survival rate for someone diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and no treatment is two to four months. With treatment, chances for a longer life increase. In the limited stage of small cell lung cancer, with treatment, the median survival rate is 16-24 months. If surgery is possible, the length increases. Patients with extensive small cell lung cancer and treatment have a survival rate average of 6-12 months (
webmd.com). Usually surgery is not an option in the extensive stage of this cancer. Once the cancer has been treated and/or removed there is a chance that the cancer will return.
