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SCLC: small cell lung carcinoma

Posted on August 29, 2019

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a form of lung cancer that grows very rapidly. There are also early daughter tumors (metastases) in other parts of the body. Therefore, small cell lung cancer is very dangerous. Read how common the SCLC is and how it is treated!

small cell bronchial carcinoma

Small cell bronchial carcinoma: description

Small cell bronchial carcinoma is the second most common form of lung cancer (after non-small cell lung cancer). It comes from so-called APUD cells. These are cells that contain various small pieces of protein (peptides) and their precursors, such as endothelin, serotonin etc.

Looking at a small cell bronchial carcinoma under the microscope, the cancer cells appear small, flat and close together. Because the cells are visually reminiscent of oatmeal, this form of cancer is also called “oat cell carcinoma”. In clinical practice, doctors often refer to a small cell lung carcinoma simply as a “small cell”.

How does a small cell bronchial carcinoma grow?

Small cell lung cancer arises in most cases centrally in the lungs. It grows there like a cuff around the larger airways (bronchi). The degenerated cells divide very quickly. So the tumor is growing rapidly.

In addition, a small cell bronchial carcinoma spreads early through the blood and lymph channels in other body regions. There, daughter tumors (metastases) form.

Rapid growth and early metastasis formation make small cell lung cancer aggressive and difficult to treat.

are the reason why a small cell lung carcinoma is usually discovered only in advanced disease stages.

Small cell bronchial carcinoma: symptoms

Lung cancer (such as a small cell lung carcinoma) initially shows only nonspecific complaints. These include, for example persistent cough, Chest pain and fatigue, Many patients do not take these symptoms seriously. Smokers simply attribute the symptoms to the smoke. Others suspect a stubborn cold or bronchitis.

Because a small cell lung cancer spreads quickly, more symptoms will soon be added. That can for example difficulty in breathing, bloody expectoration, fever,rapid weight loss and nocturnal sweat attacks be.

Some of the complaints are due to the fact that a small cell bronchial carcinoma often releases hormone-like substances into the blood (Paraneoplastic syndrome). This can have a variety of effects, such as fat deposits on the face and trunk, brittle bones, kidney stones or cardiac arrhythmia.

You can read more about the general symptoms of lung cancer and the special symptoms of small cell lung cancer in the text Lung Cancer: Symptoms.

Small cell bronchial carcinoma: causes and risk factors

The major risk factor for small cell lung cancer (and lung cancer in general) Smoke, Especially people who started smoke early in life and / or smoke heavily, easily develop a malignant tumor of the lungs. It has been shown that adolescents and women are particularly sensitive to the cancer-causing substances in tobacco smoke. This means that teenage girls are at great risk of developing lung cancer.

Not only active smoke but also passive smoking increases the risk of lung cancer. There are also other risk factors. These include, for example, contact with asbestos and a high pollutant load in the air.

For more information about the possible causes of bronchial carcinoma, see Lung Cancer: Causes and Risk Factors.

Small cell bronchial carcinoma: examinations and diagnosis

In order to clarify a suspected lung cancer, the doctor will first ask the patient to describe his complaints exactly. He also asks if and how much the patient smokes and what job he has.

This is followed by a physical and various physical examination. So the doctor will make an X-ray of the chest (chest X-ray). Often, pathological changes can already be recognized. For a more accurate presentation, the doctor will perform a computed tomography (CT). Further investigations may confirm the suspicion of lung cancer. In addition, they serve to determine the spread of the tumor.

To read more about the various tests and tests for bronchial carcinoma, see Lung Cancer: Examinations and Diagnosis.

Small cell bronchial carcinoma: treatment

For the treatment of small cell lung cancer (and other forms of lung cancer) there are basically three different therapeutic approaches available:

  • the surgical removal of the tumor
  • the radiation of the tumor
  • a chemotherapy with drugs that inhibit cell division

The individual therapy methods can be combined differently. This gives each patient an individually appropriate therapy. It mainly depends on the lung cancer stage and the general condition of the patient.

Treatment in very early stages (very limited disease)

As long as a small cell lung carcinoma is confined to a small area in the lung and has not yet metastasized, it is called a “very limited disease”. In this disease stage a small cell bronchial carcinoma is still operable and thus in principle curable. However, this form of cancer is rarely discovered so early.

Often, the patient also receives chemotherapy. It may be done prior to surgery to reduce the size of the tumor for surgery. Then one speaks of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy after surgery should eliminate any remaining cancer cells (adjuvant chemotherapy).

Depending on whether and which lymph nodes are affected by cancer cells, you may still carry out a radiation therapy. Often, as a precaution, the skull is also irradiated. Small cell bronchial carcinoma often forms secondary tumors (metastases) in the brain.

Treatment in the middle stage (limited disease)

Physicians speak of a “limited disease” if a small cell lung carcinoma has already spread over a large area in the lungs and has affected several lymph nodes. The tumor has, however, no daughter tumors in other body regions (metastases) formed.

Surgery is usually no longer possible at this stage. Instead, the patient receives chemotherapy. Often it is combined with a targeted irradiation of the tumor tissue. This is called chemoradiation.

Treatment in advanced stages (extensive disease)

An “extensive disease” occurs when a small cell lung cancer has metastasized. A cure is then no longer possible. The patients receive a so-called palliative therapy: they should alleviate the symptoms and prolong the survival of the patient as far as possible. In addition, the patients receive chemotherapy. It can usually repress the tumor temporarily.

In many patients, the skull is additionally irradiated: this is intended to prevent possible brain metastases or fight them early.

Small cell bronchial carcinoma: prognosis

Small cell bronchial carcinoma (SCLC) is usually only discovered when it is already well advanced and has metastasized. This form of lung cancer therefore has a bad prognosis:

Without treatment, patients usually die within two to four months of diagnosis. Becomes a Small cell bronchial carcinoma but treated with a customized chemo, can relieve the symptoms and prolong the survival time.

Read more about prognosis and chances of a bronchial carcinoma in the text lung cancer: life expectancy

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