The treatment for small cell lung cancer comprises of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Small cell lung cancer or SCLC is a type of cancer found in the lungs. Its cells are aggressive and fast growing, and hence they spread quickly to the other parts of the body, once they interact with the blood stream or the lymph nodes. Smoking is observed to be one of the main causes of small cell lung cancer. Most people who do not smoke have a lowered risk of having of lung cancer. However, those who do not smoke but are exposed to tobacco smoke are also prone to this cancer.

A SCLC patient often complains of chest pain, shortness of breath, cough that does not go away quickly, coughing up blood, hoarseness, swelling of face and neck, unusual tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss. It can by diagnosed by studying the reports of chest x-ray, CT scan, PET scan, bronchoscopy, sputum cytology, thoracoscopy, fine needle aspiration biopsy and thoracentesis.

Surgery for Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment

Surgery is one of the preferred options of treatment for cancer by most of the oncologists. In this method, either lobectomy, where one of the lobes of the lung is removed or bilobectomy, both the lobes of the lung are removed, or segmentectomy, where only the affected portion of the lobe is removed. This depends on the patient’s condition. Pneumonectomy and lymphadenectomy are not preferred, if the cancerous cells have not spread to the bone or lymph nodes. Any of these methods can be done after prescribing some cycles of chemotherapy or radiation therapy, to shrink the size of the cancerous cells, inside the lung of the patient. After surgery, the patient might complain of pain, shortness of breath or weakness.

Radiation Therapy for Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment

External radiation therapy is often used method of treatment for lung cancer of this type. In this method, the affected portion of the lung is exposed to high energy radiations. As the cancerous cells are sensitive to these radiations, they stop functioning and die eventually. Radiation therapy can also be given along with chemotherapy combinations, to stop the growth of these aggressive cancerous cells and relieve the patient from pain, shortness of breath, coughing and other symptoms of lung cancer.

Chemotherapy for Small Lung Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy involves a combination of different drugs given either in the form of pills or intravenous injections. It is given in weekly or monthly cycles. In case of weekly cycles, the patient has to visit his concerned oncologist once, twice or thrice a week, and in case of monthly cycles, the patient has to visit his concerned oncologist once, twice or thrice a month. This depends on the extent to which the cancer cells have spread inside the patient’s body, and how it responds to the treatment. The commonly given drug combinations are irinotecan, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, cisplatin and / or etoposide. If the small cell lung cancer is found to have been recurred, then topotecan, gemcitabine, paclitaxel and / or vinorelbine may be given to the patient.

These were the options of treatment for small cell lung cancer. You can also check for our next entry which would give you some information on the treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.

Note: The drugs given above should be taken only under the proper supervision of an oncologist.