Justin C. K. Davis, M.D. is one of San Francisco's finest house call specialist physicians, and has been providing house calls and office visits to the Bay Area since 2005. His practice is built upon a philosophy of excellent customer service and excellent patient care.
JUSTIN C.K. DAVIS, M.D.: Hi. My name is Dr. Justin Davis, and today we will be discussing small-cell lung cancer. Now small-cell lung cancer is a lung cancer but it is a particular kind of lung cancer. Now you can refer to the topic lung cancer for more specific details about the generalized symptoms of lung cancer but as a review, lung cancer is very common in Americans. In fact, it is the leading cause of cancer death today in all Americans. It is almost always caused by cigarette smoke at least 90% of the cases. So quit smoking today if you are concerned about getting lung cancer; it could help you or it could help others. Now small-cell lung cancer, the difference is, is that the cells are a little bit different kind of cell although they are still lung cells; this accounts for about 25% of lung cancers among people who get lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer, also sometimes called oat cell cancer, and that is because the cells that cause this lung cancer look a little bit like oat cells at least that is what some scientist thought when they named it that. They develop into a cancer that is more aggressive than your typical lung cancer that means that it grows much more quickly. So while most cancers are diagnosed at a later stage, and this is true for small lung cell cancer as well, small lung cell cancer usually presents after maybe only 2 to 3 months because it grows so rapidly, and you get symptoms from it much more quickly. It is also more difficult to treat with a worse prognosis than regular lung cancer, and it is more likely to spread to other parts of the body especially the brain. The symptoms when you do have it are often the same as generalized lung cancer which maybe difficulty breathing, a chronic cough, coughing up blood, pain in the chest, and also because it is likely to spread to the brain you may have other kinds of neurologic symptoms like a terrible headache or change in vision or even seizures depending upon the part of the brain that is affected. Small-cell lung cancer can be very difficult to treat but some people can be cured so it important if you have been diagnosed to rethink that you may have a lung cancer, do not wait but go see a doctor immediately. Some of the treatment methods that we use are radiation therapy and chemotherapy along with sometimes surgery as well. Again, what can you do to prevent getting lung cancer? Any kind of lung cancer, whether it is small-cell lung cancer or a nonsmall-cell lung cancer can best be
prevented by avoiding cigarette smoke, especially if you smoke, but do not forget secondhand smoke is also very dangerous and a leading cause of cancer. Other environmental toxins should also be avoided especially if you are inhaling them such as asbestos because these also can be associated with developing cancer. So one more time, if you are a smoker, it is always a good time to stop for many reasons, and if you are experiencing any kind of symptoms that I described that may be associated with a lung cancer, well it is very important to let a doctor know right away because the earlier we diagnose this problem the better, or it may be some other disease that is easily treatable but needs to be diagnosed.
Member Comments
by Marylm33 on October 20, 2009 at 7:19 PM
I have small cell carcinoma of the cervix that has now metastesised to both my lungs. I was diagnosed in July 08 and had a radical hysterectomy and followed that up with 4 months of chemo. I had a reoccurance in Jan 09 in the same area where the cervix was but had also gone through the vaginal wall near the bladder. We followed this up with 30days of intense radiation and chemo. Then tumor disappeared and when I had my PET scan in Aug 09 it was back but this time in my lungs. I am currently going through 2 8week cycles of avastin and abraxane praying this will go into remission. I would like to hear your thoughts regarding this type of cancer and my prognosis. Thanks!