What are the causes of small cell lung cancer

Due to the unreasonable dietary structure of today's society, radiation and pollution from various chemical elements, more and more people are suffering from small cell lung cancer, and this disease is very difficult to treat. Many patients with small cell lung cancer are very curious about the cause of this disease. Today we will learn about the causes of small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer accounts for about 20% of lung cancer. It is highly malignant, has a short doubling time, and metastasizes early and widely. It is sensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and has a high remission rate for initial treatment. However, it is very prone to secondary drug resistance and relapse. Systemic chemotherapy is the main treatment. Disease classification SCLC can be divided into small cell lung cancer, including the previous oat cell carcinoma, and mixed carcinoma, which is a mixed type of small cell carcinoma and squamous cell or adenocarcinoma. At present, the most commonly used staging system in the field of SCLC treatment is the SCLC staging system developed by the Lung Cancer Research Group of the Veterans Hospital of the United States. If the tumor is confined to one side of the chest cavity, including the regional lymph nodes draining it, such as the ipsilateral hilar, mediastinal or supraclavicular lymph nodes and can be included in a radiotherapy field, it is a limited stage. If the tumor exceeds the limited stage, it is an extensive stage. The former accounts for about one-third, and the latter accounts for two-thirds. This staging method is simple, easy to implement, and is related to treatment efficacy and prognosis. The TNM staging system is also currently used for the staging of SCLC.

Causes: Smoking is the main risk factor for lung cancer, and SCLC is closely related to smoking. According to a summary analysis of smoking and lung cancer worldwide from 1970 to 1999, lung cancer is positively correlated with smoking intensity, amount and duration, and the relationship with SCLC is most obvious.

Pathogenesis: In the past few decades, there have been many studies on the molecular mechanism of SCLC, suggesting that the occurrence of SCLC may involve the involvement of multiple genes. Some studies have shown that the tumor suppressor gene p53, RB gene, neuroblastoma gene, oncogene Bcl-2 gene, Myc gene, PI3K, AKT, mTOR signal transduction pathway, etc. are all related to the occurrence of SCLC.

Pathophysiology: It is generally believed that small cell lung cancer originates from Kulchitsky cells in the bronchial mucosa or glandular epithelium and belongs to APUD tumor. Some people also believe that it originates from stem cells in the bronchial mucosal epithelium that can differentiate into neuroendocrine. Small cell lung cancer is the least differentiated and most malignant type of lung cancer. It often occurs in the central part of the lung, grows rapidly, and metastasizes early. Under a light microscope, the cancer cells are small and short spindle-shaped or lymphocyte-like, with less cytoplasm and a naked nucleus. Cancer cells are densely arranged in groups, separated by connective tissue, and sometimes cancer cells are arranged in groups around small blood vessels. Electron microscopic observation of ultrastructure shows that the tumor cell cytoplasm contains typical axon-like neuroendocrine granules, but the amount of granules varies, and it is proved to be related to 5-HT and ACTH. From the immunohistochemical study, the tumor cells are positive for NSE, 5-HT, CgA, and some cases (10%) are positive for Sy, proving that small cell carcinoma has neuroendocrine function. In addition, in the same tumor, CK and EMA are positively immunohistochemically reacted at the same time.

Healthy people, do not smoke, stay away from secondhand smoke pollution. Try to avoid outdoor air pollution and kitchen fumes. Choose environmentally friendly decoration materials. Eat a balanced diet, eat more grains, vegetables, and fruits. Maintain an optimistic and positive attitude towards life and improve psychological adaptability. Patients should eat a light diet during chemotherapy, avoid greasy, indigestible foods and fried foods. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, eat small meals frequently, match food reasonably, diversify the recipes, and eat a balanced diet. During the chemotherapy interval, pay attention to avoid fatigue, rest, and regular work and rest to avoid infection.