Lung Cancer: Small Cell vs. Non-Small Cell, Treatment Options, and Survival Rates

2023-12-20 19:48:12

December 21, 2023

Dr. Huang Qiongying
Take a breath

mentioned aboveAfter Chao’s examination, he suddenly became paralyzed. His family was worried that he had a stroke. After an MRI scan, it was found that the tumor had spread to his brain and it was not a stroke. The doctor prescribed steroids to reduce brain swelling. Two days later, Chao regained his mobility and removed the lymph tissue. The test report confirmed that it was small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is mainly divided into two categories: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The occurrence of small cell lung cancer is directly related to smoking. More than 90% of patients are smokers or former smokers. In addition, long-term exposure to radiation, asphalt or toxic chemical gases will also increase the chance of developing small cell cancer. As the number of smokers in Hong Kong decreases, cases of small cell lung cancer have declined; among the 5,978 new cases of lung cancer in 2021, only 5% were small cell lung cancer.

The notorious small cell carcinoma more often appears near the middle or near the hilum of the lungs. It grows very fast and metastasizes very quickly. When it develops, it has often metastasized to lymph nodes, bones, liver, adrenal glands or brain. Generally, lung cancer is divided into four stages, while small cell lung cancer is only divided into two stages: localized stage and spread stage.

Localized stage refers to tumors limited to one side of the chest, which can include mediastinal or supraclavicular lymph nodes, and must be covered by a single radiation therapy. The spreading stage means that the tumor has spread and requires electrotherapy in a large area that the patient cannot bear. About two-thirds of the patients are already in the spreading stage when they seek treatment, and one-third are in the localized stage when they are diagnosed.

Small cell cancer is mainly controlled with chemotherapy drugs. When the tumor shrinks, lung electrotherapy is added. Only a very small number of people can be removed with surgery. Small cell cancer spreads easily to the brain, and brain electrotherapy can prevent spread.

I still remember that 20 or 30 years ago, patients with metastatic small cell carcinoma might only survive for 3 months without chemotherapy; following completing chemotherapy, the survival period might be tripled to 9 months.

Chemotherapy drugs have been used to this day. In recent years, with the addition of immunotherapy and more new drugs to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy drugs, patients have gradually begun to appear to live longer than two or three years.

The author is a respiratory system specialist

[信健康] Smoking causes small cell lung cancer, doctors’ information comes to the rescue![Morehealthinformation:health.hkej.com】

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