Small Cell Lung Cancer: General Overview

There are two types of Lung Cancers: Small Cell and Non Small Cell. Small Cell Cancer of the Lung is an aggressive (fast-growing) cancer that forms in lung tissues and can spread to other body parts.

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has included Small Cell Lung Cancer as a Compassionate Allowance to expedite a disability claim.

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Small Cell Lung Cancer Alternate Names:

• Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
• Oat cell Lung cancer
• Mixed small cell/large cell Lung carcinoma
• Combined small cell Lung carcinoma

Small cell lung cancer looks small and oval-shaped under a microscope.

Risk factors for small cell lung cancer include smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, now or in the past, exposure to second-hand smoke, and exposure to asbestos or radon.

Symptoms may include persistent cough, wheezing, hoarseness, hemoptysis (expectoration of blood or blood-stained sputum), dyspnea, chest pain, fatigue, decreased appetite, and weight loss.

The diagnosis of small cell lung cancer is confirmed by a pathologist using laboratory studies obtained by bronchoscopy or a CT-guided procedure (fine-needle biopsy).

Specimens (stains) for chromogranin, neuron-specific enolase, and synaptophysin are usually positive.

Staging of the carcinoma is performed by imaging studies (CT scans, MRI, PET scans). These studies provide the information needed for staging at diagnosis, response to treatment, resectability, and metastases.

Management of limited stage small cell lung carcinoma involves a combination of chemotherapy and thoracic radiation therapies.

Treatment can involve either a single modality or a series of multiple modalities. If complete remission is obtained, prophylactic cranial radiation is offered. At this level of treatment, the disease is curable. However, most individuals are diagnosed with extensive disease and are generally considered incurable but may achieve remission with a combination chemotherapy regimen.

Although this disease is very responsive to chemotherapy, the overall survival rate is poor. Of those diagnosed with extensive small cell lung carcinoma (most patients), the two-year survival rate is < 2%.

Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.