What is Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)?

here are two types of lung cancer; small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SCLC is believed to account for around 20% of all lung cancer diagnosis. This type of cancer develops when the small cells of the lung start to grow in a rapid and uncontrolled way. Eventually this leads to the formation of a malignant (cancerous) tumour in these cells. SCLC is often referred to as oat cell carcinoma because the small cells of the lung look similar to oats. In this article I will be discussing SCLC in greater detail.
There are actually three types of small cell lung cancer; carcinoma, mixed small cell/large cell carcinoma and combined small cell carcinoma. In each type the cancer cells grow and spread in different ways.

1) SMALL CELL CARCINOMA :-

This is the most common form of SCLC representing around 95% of all cases. This name is given when the cancer only affects the small cells of the lung.

2) MIXED SMALL CELL/LARGE CELL CARCINOMA :-

This is a less common sub-type of SCLC accounting for 4%-6% of all cases. It occurs when the characteristics of both small cell lung carcinoma and large cell carcinoma (a type of NSCLC) are present. This sub-type is resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation.

3) COMBINED SMALL CELL CARCINOMA :-

This is the least common sub-type of SCLC and accounts for approximately 1% of all cases. It occurs when the small cell carcinoma combines with either squamous cell carcinoma (a type of NSCLC that develops in the cells lining the airways) and/or adenocarcinoma (a type of NSCLC that develops in the mucus producing cells).
Smoking is the leading risk factor for this type of lung cancer and is thought to be responsible for over 90% of SCLC occurrences. However, exposure to other substances including asbestos, radon and uranium are also thought to increase your risk for this type of cancer.
Since SCLC affects your lungs the symptoms associated with this type of cancer are linked to this area of the body. Some of the most common lung cancer symptoms include a regular cough, breathlessness, chest pain and coughing up mucus or blood. If you notice any of these symptoms you should go see your doctor right away and explain your concerns. They will then be able to perform a number of tests and if necessary start you on a SCLC treatment plan.
Most people are unaware of the different types of lung cancer. Although small cell lung cancer is the less common of the two types it is still very dangerous and can prove fatal if ignored. I hope this article has given you a better understanding of small cell lung cancer. If you have any concerns regarding this condition then go and see your doctor right away. They will be able to provide you with their professional opinion and give you the best advice possible.
Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative, it is intended for general information only. Small cell lung cancer is a very serious, life threatening condition and you should discuss any concerns, treatments or lifestyle changes fully with your doctor.

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Finding Informative Articles on Lung Cancer

Cancer is one of the most visible issues in our modern day world. I can’t help but be amazed that many individuals still smoke despite the dangers that it pose. In fact, I even saw individuals with holes in their necks that are still smoking. Anyway, most of us have probably read at least a few articles on lung cancer. This ailment is most often caused by smoking and being around those who smoke. If you are still sucking on cancer sticks, then maybe you just haven't read the right articles on lung cancer. Try to pop open your favorite search engine and punch in the word, "smoking." I’m sure that you will be surprised or further educated by the stuff that you will find.
I always liked hanging out at my friend's house when I was in middle school. After all, he was my closest buddy, and shooting pool with him was a blast. The problem with visiting him at home is that folks are always smoking in their house. This made the house reek so much that it was almost unbearable. They were totally imposing their bad habit on their son and two daughters. I’m sure that they would have realized the consequences of their bad influence if they read some articles on lung cancer.
They were also infusing their children with second hand smoke whether they intended it or not. Their habit can cause cancer and they may also pass their vice on their children. In fact, all three children smoke now that they are adults. Parents who use cigarettes usually have children who also use cigarettes. It's like the old cocaine commercial with the father who confronts his son about using drugs, only to find out that the son learned it from watching him.
It would be a good idea to read articles on lung cancer because this illness is becoming an epidemic. If you are a smoker of any kind, then I suggest you check out some of the more recent articles on lung cancer. You can also hop on your laptop today and find out a little more about cancer and its causes. You can choose from different articles on lung cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer and other types of this disease that are available online.

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Prognosis For Lung Cancer - Treatment Review

Can your cancer lung prognosis be improved? Cancer survivor, Karon Beattie, has compiled a cancer treatment reference book detailing over 350 alternative cancer treatments used by thousands of people who beat cancer. Although lung cancer is not always responsive to conventional cancer treatments, Beattie gives numerous accounts of people surviving lung cancer using alternative treatments. She states that these treatments are not covered by the FDA and usually not patentable by drug companies, resulting in poor knowledge among doctors.
Specifically in relation to lung cancer, Beattie's book, "Natural Cancer Treatments That Work", describes cases where a combination of nutritional supplements cured a patient's lung cancer. She gives an account of an across-the-counter supplement that nearly doubled the tumor response rate for non-small cell lung cancer in conjunction with chemotherapy.
Beattie goes on to describe how nine men with untreatable lung cancer experienced major improvements in their conditions after taking a common vitamin.
Beattie further describes a treatment that heats tumors without damaging surrounding tissue, resulting in survival rates of 91% at eighteen months after diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer for patients who had failed to respond to chemotherapy and radiation. This seems an astonishing outcome for a cancer given a poor prognosis by oncologists.
Beattie goes on to detail how a patented soup of cancer-fighting ingredients reversed a woman's stage IV non-small cell lung cancer and how a 54-year-old man eliminated a bean-sized tumor on his right lung after five weeks taking a mineral originally found in Lourdes, France, now more widely available. In addition, the author has collected first-hand accounts from 156 people who overcame lung cancer using natural and alternative treatments. It seems incredible that if stories like this are true, that they are not standard treatment for lung and other cancers.
Beattie says that the creators of the treatments detailed in her book, include respected Nobel Prize winners, biochemists, doctors, scientists and Ph.D.'s. She believes that many doctors may be unaware of these treatments because they only prescribe, and indeed are trained to prescribe treatments regulated by the FDA. Many of the alternative treatments she lists involve herbs and vitamins that are outside the jurisdiction of the FDA. Yet they are available.
Beattie does not advocate self-treatment and provides a detailed guide on where cancer patients can get these sorts of treatment and support.
Stories like these are hard to ignore for cancer sufferers and their loved ones who surely deserve the best available treatments.

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Urine Test Could Gauge Smokers Lung Cancer Risk

Humans can often be stubborn, & ignorant. Smoking has short & long term health risks, yet we continue to light up the "ole cancer stick." Often, nothing can make us stop this nasty habit, believing it "won't happen to me."

Recently, evidence was produced at the American Association for Cancer Research that a warning test may be available in the next few years to be used as a "kick in the pants" for smokers.

Research has shown that when a risk of lung cancer is high, a person's urine shows an elevated percentage of 2 different chemicals.

Lung cancer is the most deadly of all tumors, with more than 215,020 new diagnosis being made in 2008. There are approximately 60 carcinogens found in tobacco smoke; identifying the byproducts or metabolites may help researchers determine which may lead to tumors.

Smokers with an advanced level of the metabolite NNAL have been recognized as having 2 times the likelihood of contracting lung cancer.
recognized as a huge indicator of risk. It is a nicotine byproduct, & the presence of this metabolite in smokers has shown them to have 3 times the risk, as compared to smokers with lower levels.

The unfortunate patient who has elevated levels of both cotinine & NNAL are 8.5 times more destined to have lung cancer, than those smokers with lower levels of the two.

It has been found that these 2 factors mean more danger for smokers than even daily consumption, or length of smoking time.

What makes one smoker more likely to have concentrated levels of these byproducts than another one? No one knows. Metabolic systems, heredity and genes all play a definitive part.

Researchers under no circumstances want this to be a license for some smokers to continue their nasty habit even though their levels of the 2 byproducts may be low. Smoking has no value, it only has detriments for the body and for those inhaling their secondary smoke. Hopefully, the urine test, in the future, will provide a needed wake up call and save lives.

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Drinking Red Wine Associated With Reduced Lung Cancer Risk in Male Smokers

In the October, 2008 issue of the American Association for Cancer research journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention¸ California Kaiser Permanente researchers report yet another benefit associated with drinking red wine: a lower risk of lung cancer.

Chun Chao, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente's Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, California, and colleagues analyzed data from the California Men's Health Study of 84,170 men aged 45 to 69. Surveys completed between 2000 and 2003 provided information concerning demographics and lifestyle characteristics, including type and frequency of alcoholic beverage consumption. Over the three year period, 210 cases of lung cancer were identified.Among men who reported ever having smoked, drinking one or more glasses of red wine per day was associated with a 61 percent lower adjusted risk of lung cancer compared to the risk experienced by those who did not consume red wine. For each glass of red wine consumed per month, a 2 percent reduction in lung cancer risk was noted among those who had ever smoked, and for those who reported having been heavy smokers, a 4 percent reduction was observed. No effect for beer, liquor, or white wine was observed.

"An antioxidant component in red wine may be protective of lung cancer, particularly among smokers," Dr Chao stated. "Red wine is known to contain high levels of antioxidants. There is a compound called resveratrol that is very rich in red wine because it is derived from the grape skin. This compound has shown significant health benefits in preclinical studies."

Although white wine also contains beneficial phytochemicals, their level and activity are much lower compared with those found in red wine. The authors observe that resveratrol, found in red wine, red grapes, and other plants, has been shown to alter the activation of carcinogenic substances in human lung cell cultures, induce programmed cell death in human lung cancer cell lines, and slow lung tumor growth in experiments with mice.

"This finding, if confirmed is of interest for lung cancer chemoprevention in current and former smokers," the authors write. They emphasize that not smoking is still the best way to avoid lung cancer, and that heavy alcohol consumption is not recommended.

Dayna Dye writes for Life Extension - a global authority on health, wellness and nutrition as well as a provider of scientific information on anti-aging therapies and nutritional supplements, including minerals, herbs, hormones and vitamins.

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How Smoking Causes Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a global problem and it is the most frequent cancer in the world. Each year the incidences of lung cancer are unfortunately increasing. Although the use of tobacco has declined in many high income countries, it has become rapidly worse in developing and former socialist countries, where smoking rate is still high. Everyone knows that smoking causes lung cancer but how smoking causes lung cancer is a question that nobody really knows. In this article I will explain how smoking causes lung cancer.


A cigarette smoke is a very complicated mixture of different compounds. More than 4000 different compounds have been indentified in mainstream cigarette smoke. From these 4000 and a bit more compounds 60-70 are carciongens: heterocyclic hydrocarbons, N -heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), N -nitrosamines, aromatic amines, organic compounds, aldehydes, inorganic compounds like hydrazine and some metals and free radicals.
Tobacco contains a high amount of N-nitrosamines and PAH-s, which are which are strong carciogens. Other compounds seem to have lower carciogenic potential. Various studies have shown that PAH-s can induce tumors in laboratory animals. PAH- are formed by incomplete combustion of tobacco. Studies have also shown that PAH-s can interact with the DNA, forming mutagenic DNA adducts. And the formation of DNA adducts may be the primary initiating event of carciogenesis.
The concentration of N-nitrosamines in tobacco is relatively high and heavy smokers have the highest exposure to these compounds. The tobacco-specific N -nitrosamines (TSNA), principally the nicotine-derived NNK, are the strongest respiratory carcinogens identified in tobacco products. Both malignant and benign tumors are formed in mice, hamsters and rats have been induced by NNK. The concentration of NNK in mainstream smoke has increased while those of benzo( a ) pyrene have decreased since the 1960s.
The smoke of cigarettes also contains a large amount of free radicals and free radicals cause oxidative damage. Both the particulate and gas phase are highly oxidative and therefore damage the lung. Cigarette smoke also induces proinflammatory cytokines and recruits activated macrophages
and neutrophils to lung tissue.
Cigarettes contain a very high levels of metals. Somewhere around 30 metals have been found. Some evidence has shown that metals are effective initiators of the carcinogenic process, but can also be potential promoters during carcinogenesis. Cigarette smoke contains high levels of cadmium, chromium and also nickel. Chromium accumulates in the lung and tobacco smoking is the main source of cadmium exposure in humans. Unfortunately the complete contribution of these metals to lung cancer is poorly understood.

Over 350 non-toxic natural and alternative treatments that have helped thousands of people beat their cancer. Over 2,000 testimonials! Success rates for surgery, chemo and radiation revealed! Free information on financial and other help available. Download this set of 4 e-Books and Reports NOW. It could save your life.

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Prognosis For Lung Cancer - Treatment Review

Can your cancer lung prognosis be improved? Cancer survivor, Karon Beattie, has compiled a cancer treatment reference book detailing over 350 alternative cancer treatments used by thousands of people who beat cancer. Although lung cancer is not always responsive to conventional cancer treatments, Beattie gives numerous accounts of people surviving lung cancer using alternative treatments. She states that these treatments are not covered by the FDA and usually not patentable by drug companies, resulting in poor knowledge among doctors.
Specifically in relation to lung cancer, Beattie's book, "Natural Cancer Treatments That Work", describes cases where a combination of nutritional supplements cured a patient's lung cancer. She gives an account of an across-the-counter supplement that nearly doubled the tumor response rate for non-small cell lung cancer in conjunction with chemotherapy.
Beattie goes on to describe how nine men with untreatable lung cancer experienced major improvements in their conditions after taking a common vitamin.
Beattie further describes a treatment that heats tumors without damaging surrounding tissue, resulting in survival rates of 91% at eighteen months after diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer for patients who had failed to respond to chemotherapy and radiation. This seems an astonishing outcome for a cancer given a poor prognosis by oncologists.
Beattie goes on to detail how a patented soup of cancer-fighting ingredients reversed a woman's stage IV non-small cell lung cancer and how a 54-year-old man eliminated a bean-sized tumor on his right lung after five weeks taking a mineral originally found in Lourdes, France, now more widely available. In addition, the author has collected first-hand accounts from 156 people who overcame lung cancer using natural and alternative treatments. It seems incredible that if stories like this are true, that they are not standard treatment for lung and other cancers.
Beattie says that the creators of the treatments detailed in her book, include respected Nobel Prize winners, biochemists, doctors, scientists and Ph.D.'s. She believes that many doctors may be unaware of these treatments because they only prescribe, and indeed are trained to prescribe treatments regulated by the FDA. Many of the alternative treatments she lists involve herbs and vitamins that are outside the jurisdiction of the FDA. Yet they are available.
Beattie does not advocate self-treatment and provides a detailed guide on where cancer patients can get these sorts of treatment and support.
Stories like these are hard to ignore for cancer sufferers and their loved ones who surely deserve the best available treatments.Natural Cancer Treatments That Work is available from Alternative Medicine for Cancer Also available is a free guide on where to get treatment and support as well as free articles on cancer treatment options.
Prognosis For Lung Cancer

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What is Lung Cancer - Incidence, Signs, Symptoms, Causation, Prognosis and Treatment

Lung cancer may also be the most tragic cancer because in most cases, it might have been prevented, 87% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Lung cancer has long been the most common cause of cancer death in men and since 1987 it has also become the most common cause of cancer death in women. Lung cancer is the second most commonly occurring form of cancer in most western countries and although the lung cancer incidence is less common in developing countries, the rapid increase in the popularity of smoking will see the number of lung cancer sufferers in those countries quickly catch up with the western world.
Lung cancers can arise in any part of the lung, and 90%-95% of cancers of the lung are thought to arise from the epithelial, or lining cells of the larger and smaller airways (bronchi and bronchioles); for this reason, lung cancers are sometimes called bronchogenic carcinomas or bronchogenic cancers.
The most common type of lung cancers are epidermoid carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma.
Most experts agree that lung cancer is attributable to inhalation of carcinogenic pollutants by a susceptible host. Who is most susceptible? Any smoker over the age of 40, especially if they began smoking before the age of 15, have smoked 20 or more for 20 years, or worked with or near asbestos. Two other factors also increase susceptibility: exposure to carcinogenic industrial and air pollutants (asbestos, uranium, arsenic, nickel, iron oxides, chromium, radio active dust, and coal dust.) and familial susceptibility.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Because early lung cancer usually produces no symptoms, the disease is often in an advanced stage when first diagnosed. Late stage signs are: with epidermoid and small cell carcinoma; smokers cough, hoarseness, wheezing, dyspnea, hemoptysis and chest pain. With adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma; fever, weakness, weight loss, anorexia and shoulder pain. In addition, hormone production which regulates various body functions may also be affected.
DIAGNOSIS
Firm diagnosis requires chest x rays, sputum cytology, CT scanning, bronchoscopy the examination of pleural fluid and biopsies. Other tests to detect metastasis include bone scans, bone marrow biopsy and CT scans of the brain and abdomen.
METASTASES
Lung cancer most often spreads to the liver, the adrenal glands, the bones, and the brain. Lung cancer that has metastasized to the bone causes bone pain, usually in the backbone (vertebrae), the thighbones, and the ribs. Lung cancer that spreads to the brain can cause difficulties with vision and weakness on one side of the body.
Lung cancer may grow into certain nerves in the neck, causing a droopy eyelid, small pupil, sunken eye, and reduced perspiration on one side of the face; together these symptoms are called Horner's syndrome (see Autonomic Nervous System Disorders: Horner's Syndrome). Lung cancer may grow directly into the esophagus, or it may grow near it and put pressure on it, leading to difficulty in swallowing. Lung cancer may also spread through the bloodstream to the liver, brain, adrenal glands, spinal cord, and bone.
TREATMENT
Treatment for lung cancer depends on the cancer's specific cell type, how far it has spread, and the patient's performance status. If investigations confirm lung cancer, CT scan and often positron emission tomography (PET) are used to determine whether the disease is localised and amenable to surgery or whether it has spread to the point where it cannot be cured surgically. Treatment is usually a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Surgery is usually the first option. Chemotherapy can be used as a first line treatment for lung cancer or as additional treatment after surgery. Radiation therapy can be directed at your lung cancer from outside your body (external beam radiation) or it can be put inside needles, seeds or catheters and placed inside your body near the cancer (brachytherapy). Radiation therapy can be used alone or along with other lung cancer treatments. Radiation therapy can also be used to lessen side effects of lung cancer.
Treatment may not be as effective for patients with bone or liver metastases from lung cancer, excessive weight loss, ongoing cigarette use, or pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease or emphysema. At some point, if you and your oncologist or primary care physician agree that treatment no longer is advisable, hospice care can provide comfort.

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Do You Know These 5 Unusual Lung Cancer Symptoms?

Lung cancer is one of the top killers in developed and of late developing countries. More than a million deaths are reported worldwide. Smoking still remains the number one risk factor for lung cancer. Other risk factors include passive or second-hand smoke, Asbestos exposure, Radon exposure, and genetic mutations. Lung cancer remains one of the most preventive cancers and yet many people are falling prey to this deadly cancer.
Early diagnosis still remains the mainstay in helping people with lung cancer have a longer life expectancy. There are some unusual symptoms of lung cancer that you should be aware of to help in an early diagnosis.
1. Shoulder or upper back pain: Shoulder or upper back pain is an often unnoticed symptom of lung cancer caused by the tumour pressing on the lining of the lungs.
2. Swelling of the face and neck: The venous drainage of the upper part of the body is Superior Venacava. Pressure from the tumour can lead to impaired venous and lymphatic drainage leading to swelling of the face and neck.
3. Frequent pneumonia and other lung infections: The tumour cells can trap bacteria and this results in frequent lung infections and pneumonia.
4. Male breast development: Gynacomastia is the name for development of breasts in men. Breast growth is due to the presence of Oestrogen and some lung cancers can produce amounts of Oestrogen that stimulate breast development.
5. Hoarseness of voice: The tumour can press upon important organs like the voice box or nerves involved in speech and this results in hoarseness of voice.
If you know someone who has developed these symptoms then there is a possibility that they have lung cancer and it needs to be checked by a doctor.

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