How to prolong life with small cell lung cancer

Nowadays, more and more people do not pay attention to their health and suffer from small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is caused by lung lesions, so our lungs will be unhealthy, causing patients to be unable to breathe normally. Suffering from small cell cancer is actually not a very scary thing. We must face it positively and actively participate in treatment. So what is the way to prolong life with small cell lung cancer? Let's learn about it together.

Small cell carcinoma is a more serious type of lung cancer. However, since small cell carcinoma is more sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it is easier to treat early small cell carcinoma. If the patient misses the best treatment time, the disease will be difficult to control. So how long can a patient with small cell carcinoma live? How to prolong life?

Small cell lung cancer accounts for about 20% of lung cancer. It is highly malignant, has a short doubling time, metastasizes early and widely, is sensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and has a high initial remission rate. However, it is very prone to secondary drug resistance and relapse, and treatment is mainly based on systemic chemotherapy. Small cell lung cancer is the least differentiated and most malignant type of lung cancer. It often occurs in the central part of the lung, grows rapidly, and metastasizes early. Under a light microscope, cancer cells are small and short spindle-shaped or lymphocyte-like, with little cytoplasm and a naked nucleus-like shape. Cancer cells are densely arranged in groups, separated by connective tissue, and sometimes cancer cells are arranged in groups around small blood vessels.

Whether the treatment of advanced small cell lung cancer is appropriate is the most important factor affecting how long patients with advanced lung cancer can live. As for the treatment of advanced lung cancer, the possibility of surgical resection is very low. The main treatments for advanced small cell lung cancer in clinical practice are radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and biological immunotherapy. If patients give up treatment, they may only have a few months left to live, but with proper treatment, life can be extended to 3 to 5 years.

Most patients with advanced small cell lung cancer experience relief of symptoms after radiotherapy, but since radiotherapy can also damage normal cells, it should be used with caution in patients with advanced small cell lung cancer who have very weak physical functions. In addition, as the duration of chemotherapy increases, its treatment toxicity also gradually increases. Therefore, the choice of chemotherapy drugs and chemotherapy duration should be based on the condition of the lung cancer patient, symptom relief, and treatment-related toxicity.