Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the fastest growing variants of lung cancer. The other type of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer which is not as prolific but is well known. Typically this cancer is seen in women and about 15 per cent of all lung cancer cases are SCLC.
SCLC has two distinct types:
Typically the most common type of lung cancer is the small cell carcinoma.
In the non-small cell lung cancer, there are three variants:
Sometimes the cells become undifferentiated cells when they become cancerous and a small biopsy is not enough to tell which cancer it is, if it is non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment may not vary much even if it is NSCLC but the spread and damage would change based on which type of lung cancer it is.
The main cause of this lung cancer is smoking. If you are a smoker and a woman, you stand a higher chance of getting SCLC. People, who do not smoke, rarely get SCLC. Exposure to radon or asbestos can also cause SCLC. This cancer is so rampant that once get SCLC; it can quickly spread and metastasise across the body. As it multiplies fast, even the tumours become big quickly while appearing on the brain and liver.
Typical symptoms that are indications that you might have SCLC are:
This cancer is very deadly and has very little life expectancy. This disease is has no real cure so if it is identified in the early stages, you can extend your life by another 5-10 years with treatment like chemotherapy. In case the cancer is identified in advanced stages, it becomes very difficult to prolong life even with cancer treatment.
The diagnosis is done with the help many tests like a CT scan, an X-ray, a bone scan, an MRI, PET scan, biopsy, sputum test, and a complete blood count. In the case of more advanced treatments, a bronchoscopy to supplement a biopsy, open lung biopsy, or a pleural biopsy. Before the treatment begins, the cancer is classified as limited if it hasn't spread much or extensive if it has spread to other parts of the body.
The treatment for limited lung cancer is usually chemotherapy and radiation.
Chemotherapy is given either orally or through an injection. Sometimes radiation is coupled with chemotherapy. The combination of treatment is given to reduce the pain and manage symptoms not cure the cancer.
If the cancer has spread to the brain, the patient could be given prophylactic cranial irradiation or PCL to treat smaller cancer that might appear in the brain. PCL is a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. Surgery is considered the only an option only when the cancer has not spread across various systems in the body.
The chemotherapy for SCLC takes about 6-12 months. The treatment tends to have other complicated side effects like nausea, vomiting and acute hair loss. It's important to remember that very few people survive after contracting SCLC, even with chemotherapy.
Avoid second hand smoke and quit smoking as soon as possible if you are interested in preventing this cancer. Lifestyle change is the only real possibility of prevention.
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