What is small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer is one of the basic types of lung cancer. It is an undifferentiated cancer and a highly malignant tumor. Compared with other types of lung cancer, small cell lung cancer has a shorter symptom period before diagnosis and a shorter survival period after diagnosis. If not treated, the median survival period of patients with small cell lung cancer from diagnosis is less than three months.

Small cell carcinoma accounts for about 20% of all types of lung cancer. It occurs at a younger age, is more common in men, and most patients have a history of smoking. It usually originates from larger bronchi, and most are central lung cancers. Small cell carcinoma has a low degree of differentiation, grows fast, and metastasizes to distant organs and tissues of the body earlier and invades blood vessels through the blood vessels. Therefore, among all types of lung cancer, small cell carcinoma has the worst prognosis. Small cell carcinoma is highly sensitive to radiotherapy and/or anticancer drug treatment. Surgery is generally not recommended for treatment, and systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the main treatments. This type of lung cancer has a higher degree of malignancy and a poorer prognosis. Fever and cough are common symptoms of lung cancer in patients. Headaches should be alert to brain metastasis, and a cranial CT scan is strongly recommended.

Classification

Small cell lung cancer is divided into limited stage and extensive stage. Most small cell lung cancers are already in the extensive stage when diagnosed, with limited stage accounting for up to 1/3.

treat

For patients with small cell lung cancer, Western medicine mainly uses chemotherapy, mainly systemic chemotherapy, combined with radiotherapy; Traditional Chinese medicine treats this disease mainly based on syndrome differentiation and treatment, often combined with chemotherapy.