Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is the particular type of lung cancer that is associated with smoking. It is also called oat cell cancer and it is not so common. SCLC begins in the larger airways and tends to grow rapidly. When detected in early stages this type of lung carcinoma is sensitive to chemotherapy but otherwise it carries a poor prognosis.
Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer that causes death in both women and men all over the world. Lung carcinoma is the uncontrolled epithelial cell growth in the lung lining. Carcinoma of the lung may become metastatic and they usually metastasize in the adrenal glands, liver, brain, and bone. The lung is also a common organ for metastasis from other organs such as the breast.
Primary lung cancer is classified into non-small cell lung carcinoma and small cell lung cancer. The first group, NSCLC has three main subtypes which are the squamous cell lung carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma lung cancer. They are all grouped together because they have similar management and prognosis. Squamous cell lung carcinoma starts near a central bronchus, may be associated with necrosis and accounts for 25% of lung cancers. Adenocarcinoma originates in the peripheral lung tissue and is often associated with smoking. It is also the most common type of lung cancer among the non-smokers. The large cell carcinoma lung cancer is rare and accounts for 5 to 10 % of cases. It is a heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasm and it is usually diagnosed by excluding the other conditions.
According to the statistics almost 10% of the lung cancer patients do not experience any symptoms when they are diagnosed with such a condition and lung carcinoma is detected incidentally on a routine radiography. In most cases however, the symptoms develop by the time the cancer has reached a more advanced stage. Symptoms of lung carcinoma may include:
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing up blood
• Chronic coughing
• Wheezing
• Chest pain
• Pain in the abdomen
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Difficulty swallowing.
Carcinoma of the lung is treated depending on the stage, on the type of cancer and the general health of the patient. Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, interventional therapy or targeted therapy. Non-small cell lung carcinomas are treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Small cell lung carcinoma is primarily treated with radiation and chemotherapy since surgery proved to be ineffective in curing this type of lung cancer.