Overview
Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive form of Lung Cancer, sometimes called Oat Cell Cancer, in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the lung and spread quickly.
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- Extensive Stage SCLC Lung Cancer
Overview
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Extensive Stage SCLC means that the tumor has affected both lungs or any other organ in your body, making it difficult to be treated with surgery or radiotherapy.
What Tests Will I Need and Why?
Blood and Imaging tests are done to understand your general health, confirm your diagnosis and determine your cancer stage.
Tissue analysis is also typically done to identify the cancer cell type, which is critical to finding the best treatment option for you.
If your treatment team has not already performed tests to determine your cancer’s features, please ask your doctor when these tests will be performed.
Re-read this summary as needed and then tap, “Compare My Treatment Options Now“. Our unique Comparison Page will help you understand your FDA-approved treatment options including, who can help you pay for your treatment, where and how each is given and what side-effects you may experience.
National Institute of Health/ treatment-lung
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Commonly Searched Questions
What are the symptoms of Extensive Stage Lung cancer?
The symptoms of Extensive Stage lung cancer depend on the organ that is affected as the lung cancer can spread to any part of the body.
These are some common symptoms you might experience if you have Extensive Stage lung cancer;
- Breathlessness
- Chronic cough
- Feeling weak
- Coughing up blood
- Noisy breathing
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Paraneoplastic syndrome
- Horner’s Syndrome(drooping of the eyelid and absence of sweating on one side of the face)
These are symptoms related to the spread of your lung cancer to other parts of your body;
- Yellowing of the eyes and skin due to the spread to the liver
- Superior vena cava syndrome causes swelling of the face and upper part of the body due to obstruction from the tumor
Source: Cancer.org
What is the treatment for extensive Stage Lung cancer?
These are some common treatment options that are available for your Extensive Stage lung cancer:
- Chemotherapy
- Therapy that targets receptors in the lungs such as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors can be done. Other mutations such as ALK, BRAF, MET, NTRK, RET and ROS-1 have specific targeted therapy that deals with the mutation.
- Immunotherapy helps a person’s immunity identify and kill lung cancer. It can be done with or without chemotherapy.
- Radiotherapy
Now Click Here To Compare Your Latest Treatment Options.
Source: Cancer.org
What is the prognosis or survival rate of Extensive Stage lung cancer?
According to SEER data, Extensive Stage lung cancer falls into the distant Stage with a survival rate of 6.3%. This means that people with Extensive Stage lung cancer are 6.3% as likely as people without lung cancer to live for 5 years after the diagnosis.
These numbers do not take into account recurrence (cancer coming back) and newer data so they should be used with caution.
Source: Cancer.gov
Is Extensive Stage Lung cancer Curable?
Extensive Stage lung cancer is not curable. However, there are treatment options available to help reduce your symptoms, improve your quality of life and increase your chances of survival.
Source: Cancer.org
What is the chance of the tumor coming back in Extensive Stage lung cancer?
The estimated recurrence rate of Extensive Stage lung cancer is 70%. However, this value may change according to different locations, your overall health and genetics. It is important to ask your healthcare provider for more information.
Source: Cancer.org
How long can someone live without treatment?
There is no clear length of time someone can live without treatment for Extensive Stage lung cancer. However, lung cancer can be lethal and progress quickly without treatment.
Source: Cancer.org
