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Small cell lung cancer can is the most aggressive and fast-growing kind of lung cancer. It usually originates in the bronchi, i.e., the breathing tubes in the middle of the chest. The malignant cells are quite small but have the tendency to grow rapidly, creating large tumors. Very often, these tumors metastasize to the other parts of the body, such as the liver, brain and bone. Small cell lung cancer is accountable for about 15% of all the lung cancer cases and is a bit more common in men than women. This disease can be divided into two types -

• Small cell carcinoma or oat cell cancer
• Combined small cell carcinoma

Of the two, small cell carcinoma is a lot more common. Both types usually affect those who smoke, which happens to be one of the main causes of this disease.

Early treatment improves your chances of fighting off the disease. Therefore, it is important that you consult your doctor as soon as you notice the symptoms of the condition. These include -

• Shortness of breath
• Severe cough
• Bloody sputum
• Wheezing
• Pain in the chest
• Lack of appetite, accompanied by weight loss
• Throat hoarseness and change in the voice
• Facial swelling
• Weakness
• Swallowing difficulties
• Fever

Your doctor will first conduct a physical exam and may ask you for details about your medical history. Some of the other tests that you may need to undergo include -

• Biopsy
• Sputum test
• MRI
• CT Scan
• Chest x-ray
• Thoracentesis
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan
• Liver function tests
• Bone scan
• Complete blood count (CBC)
  

You may be required to undergo more than one test to assess the exact stage of the cancer. If the mutation of the cells is limited to the lungs, the problem can be treated with radiation therapy. However, if the cancer has spread to the other parts, you may need to consider other treatment options like chemotherapy.

In chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer, your doctor will prescribe certain cancer-killing drugs, which need to be taken orally, or can be injected into the body. In some cases, patients are required to spend a night in the hospital, while undergoing this treatment.

Unfortunately, chemotherapy can have an adverse effect on you, since it kills off the healthy cells along with the cancerous cells in your body. Given below are some of the common side effects of chemotherapy-

• The white blood cells produced in the bone marrow help your body to fight off infections. After a week of starting chemotherapy, your body’s resistance to infection is the lowest, because of the reduction in the white blood cells. However, this is a temporary side effect; the production of the white cells gradually returns to normal once the treatment cycle is complete.
• Blood clots are formed in your body with the help of platelets. Chemotherapy reduces the production of platelets, because of which you may experience unexplained bruising, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, skin rashes and blood spots.
• Oxygen is transported all over your body through the red blood cells. Chemotherapy reduces the red blood cells count in your body, causing you to feel tired and breathless very fast.
• Loss of appetite, lack of taste, nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy. However, your doctor can combat these problems with the help of an anti-emetic drug.
• Chemotherapy medication may cause you to lose your hair partially or completely. However, once the treatment cycle is complete, your hair should return to normal.
• Chemo drugs often affect the functioning of your nerves, which leads to peripheral neuropathy. You may find it difficult to perform simple, everyday tasks like buttoning your clothes or combing your hair.
• Higher doses of chemo drugs or extended treatment sometimes affect your ability to hear high-pitched sounds.

It is important to understand that chemotherapy have a different effect on different people. While some patients lead a normal life while going through the treatment, others are badly affected and need to make drastic lifestyle changes. While the side effects may seem hard to bear, they are usually temporary and disappear once the treatment is over.

References

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001180/
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/AN00654