Small Cell Lung Cancer

Small cell lung cancer, also known as oat cell cancer, is less prevalent than non-small cell lung cancer. The typical characteristic of this form of cancer is its growth rate, which is rapid and quick to spread to other organs of your body. Small cell lung cancer begins in any of the larger breathing tubes, grows quickly and generally isn't diagnosed until it's fairly significant.

Causes

Most cases of small cell lung cancer are the result of smoking. Nearly 87% of all lung cancers are due to smoking or prolonged exposure to smoke. The other primary causes of small cell lung cancer are related to occupational hazards (exposure to cancer-causing agents) and a personal or family history of lung cancer.

Symptoms

Initial symptoms include persistent coughing, continuous pain in the thoracic cavity, dyspnea, and blood during coughing. In the advanced stage, symptoms vary depending on the organ or organs where it's metastasized. For example, once small cell lung cancer has spread to the brain there's a possibility of memory loss, constant head ache, etc.,

Diagnosis

Small cell lung cancer can easily be diagnosed by CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays. By using these diagnostic methods, the location, size, and shape of the tumor can easily be detected. Even a lung biopsy and a sputum cytology can sometimes be more helpful than any other diagnostic procedures.

Treatment

Small cell lung cancer usually occurs in one of two forms: limited or extensive. Since small cell lung cancer has usually multiplied progressively by the time it's discovered, surgery combined with chemotherapy is usually the preferred method of treating the disease.

Limited Stage

Chemotherapy is suggested by most physicians, even in those cases when you're suffering from a limited stage of small cell lung cancer. Even in those cases when your lung consists of single nodule without any other evidence of cancer elsewhere, your physician will generally prefer surgery, followed by chemotherapy. Most often he'll suggest a combination of carboplatin or cisplatin combined with etoposide, continued for 6 months. There is some evidence that paclitaxel or topotecan also added to this combination increases the survival rate.

In the early stages of small cell lung cancer, radiation therapy can achieve positive results in place of surgery or chemotherapy. You may experience difficulty breathing and swallowing after exposure to radiation. Chest radiation therapy is contraindicated for some serious health problems and in those cases of severe lung disease.

Extensive

In the extensive stage of small cell lung cancer, using chemotherapy alone can alleviate symptoms. The drug combination of Cisplatin or carboplatin along with etoposide is generally the preferred therapy.

Once this treatment is no longer effective, you may opt for a second form of chemotherapy usually for a much shorter period. The most common drugs used for this secondary chemotherapy approach include docetaxel, irinotecan, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, methotrexate, paclitaxel, topotecan, ifofamide, and cyclophosphamide. Sometimes radiation therapy may also be used once the small cell lung cancer metastasizes to the bone or brain.

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