What are the examination items for small cell lung cancer?

Small cell lung cancer is a disease that most people in today's society are concerned about. If we have this disease, what examinations should we do? Will we have to do unnecessary tests at the hospital? Don't worry, as long as you treat it actively, it can be controlled in the early stages. Let's learn about the examinations for small cell lung cancer.

Examination items include blood routine, CT, X-ray, sputum examination, and chest X-ray examination, which are the simplest, most convenient, and cheapest examination methods. Chest CT can show lesions that cannot be found by ordinary X-ray examinations, and show the scope and degree of involvement of the hilar lymph nodes and mediastinum. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not as good as CT in finding small pulmonary lesions, but it can more clearly show the relationship between tumors and large blood vessels. When determining whether there is intracranial metastasis, enhanced MRI is the first choice.

Positron emission tomography (PET) and whole-body PET are significantly more accurate than CT and radionuclide bone scans in identifying lung masses, lymph nodes or distant metastases. The positive rate of sputum cytology is related to the location and size of the tumor, the quality of sputum, and whether there is concurrent infection. The detection rate of central lung cancer is high, but it is difficult to determine the type, and it is currently not recommended.

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy can observe the location, size and extent of tumor infiltration in the bronchial cavity, and obtain tissue for pathological examination. Intrabronchial ultrasound is a new technology. For lesions with only airway compression but no intracavitary tumors, this examination can help clarify the extent of the lesion and improve the accuracy of transmural biopsy.

Percutaneous puncture lung biopsy is completed under the guidance of CT, with a biopsy positive rate of up to 90%. If the tumor contains a large area of ​​necrosis, it is often falsely negative. Mediastinoscopy can be considered for cases that are difficult to diagnose with conventional methods. It is of great significance for the diagnosis of upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis or anterior mediastinal lymph node invasion. Thoracoscopic and open-chest biopsy can be considered for peripheral lesions, mediastinal lesions or pleural lesions that are difficult to diagnose.

Ultrasound of superficial lymph nodes: SCLC is prone to metastasize to supraclavicular lymph nodes. Ultrasound scans of the neck, supraclavicular lymph nodes, axilla, etc. are performed to determine the stage of lymph node metastasis. Abdominal ultrasound, CT or MRI: The liver and adrenal glands are sites where SCLC is prone to metastasize. Patients who are newly diagnosed should undergo abdominal imaging examinations to determine the stage. Enhanced MRI of the head: Enhanced MRI is more sensitive to brain metastases than CT.

Whole body bone scan: If the whole body bone scan indicates a high metabolic area, the patient's medical history should be carefully inquired and combined with MRI to determine whether it is metastasis. Tumor marker examination: The main markers are NSE, CEA, SCC, CYFR21-1, etc. They lack specificity and have a certain reference value for disease monitoring.

In daily life, we should pay more attention to eating a light diet, eating more fresh vegetables and fruits, eating small meals frequently, combining foods reasonably, diversifying the recipes, and having a balanced diet.