Understanding Small Cell Lung Cancer

Small cell lung cancer can also be called as oat cell cancer. The small cell lung cancer is less common than non-small cell lung cancer. The typical characteristic of this type of cancer is that it grows more rapidly and is more prone to spread to other organs of your body. Small cell lung cancer starts in any one of the larger breathing tubes, grows quickly and attains larger size at the time of diagnosis.

Causes for small cell lung cancer

Most of the small cell lung cancer is the sequel a of tobacco smoking. Nearly 87% of the lung cancers are caused due to smoking and some of the rest may be due to tobacco smoke exposure. Other etiology of small cell lung cancer includes occupational hazards- exposure to cancer-causing agents (Mesothelioma) and personal or family history of lung cancer. Hence the doctors recommend avoiding smoking and exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Symptoms of small cell lung cancer

The initial symptoms of small cell lung cancer include persistent coughing, continuous pain in the thoracic cavity, dyspnea, and blood during coughing. Once your small cell lung cancer reach the advance stage, the symptoms varies depending upon the organ where it metastasized. For example, once the small cell lung cancer develop metastasis in the brain, there is possibility of loss memory, constant head ache, etc.,

Diagnosis of small cell lung cancer

The small cell lung cancer can easily be diagnosed by CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays. These diagnoses can easily be obtained for identifying the place of tumor in the lungs. By using these diagnostic methods, the location, size, and shape of the tumor can easily be detected. Even sometimes lung biopsy and sputum cytology are more helpful than any other diagnostic procedures.

Treatment of small cell lung cancer

The small cell lung cancer is usually occurring in two forms as limited or extensive. Since small cell lung cancer has usually multiply progressively by the time it is found, only by means of surgery curing the small cell lung cancer is questionable. Surgery combined with chemotherapy is usually preferred method of treating the disease.

Limited stage of small cell lung cancer

Chemotherapy is suggested by most of the physicians even you are suffering from limited stage of small cell lung cancer. In case if your lung consists of single nodule without any other evidence of cancer elsewhere, your physician prefers to go for surgery and followed by chemotherapy. The commonly used combination of drugs is carboplatin or cisplatin combined with etoposide, continued for 6 months. There are some evident that paclitaxel or topotecan addition with this combination increases the survival rate.

In the early stages of small cell lung cancer, the radiation therapy fetches fruitful results rather than surgery or chemotherapy. You may experience difficult in breathing and trouble in swallowing after the exposure to radiation. Chest radiation therapy is contraindicated in other types of serious health problems or severe lung disease.

Extensive stage of small cell lung cancer

In the extensive stage of small cell lung cancer, using the chemotherapy alone can alleviate the symptoms. The drug combination Cisplatin or carboplatin along with etoposide is the most preferred therapy. In addition to this medicines, which improve the blood cell count, may also be included for better results.

Once the small cell lung cancer is immune to this treatment at least after 8 months, you may opt for second type of chemotherapy usually for only a short time. The common drugs used as second type of chemotherapy include docetaxel, irinotecan, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, methotrexate, paclitaxel, topotecan, ifofamide, and cyclophosphamide. Sometimes radiation therapy also being practiced once the small cell lung cancer forms the metastasis either in bone or brain.