What obvious harms does small cell lung cancer bring

Patients who may have small cell lung cancer after examination often worry about the dangers if they really have small cell lung cancer, so they will pay more attention to small cell lung cancer and the harm it brings. Here we will introduce to you the obvious harms that small cell lung cancer may bring. Let’s take a look.

Small cell lung cancer tumor cells are small in size under a microscope, and their nuclei are large, almost filling the entire cell body. Although the cells are small, they are highly invasive and can rapidly replicate and proliferate. Therefore, when they are clinically discovered, the tumors are large and often invade large blood vessels and main bronchi, with early mediastinal lymph node and distant metastasis.

When the primary tumor of small cell lung cancer is very small, the hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes may swell, and the weight may drop significantly. Small cell lung cancer is often accompanied by paraneoplastic syndrome, which is also often manifested by some special endocrine. Since the cells of small cell lung cancer are more active, the chance of paraneoplastic syndrome is higher than that of non-small cell lung cancer.

What are the obvious dangers of small cell lung cancer?

(i) Metastasis to lymph nodes: Supraclavicular lymph node metastasis is usually fixed and hard in texture. It gradually increases in size, increases in number, and fuses. It is usually painless.

(ii) Metastasis to the pleura: causing chest pain and pleural effusion, which is mostly bloody.

(III) Metastasis to bones: Most cases are insidious, with only 1/3 having local symptoms, such as pain and pathological fractures. When metastasis to the spine compresses the spinal nerve roots, the pain is persistent and worsens at night. Intraspinal metastasis can rapidly cause irreversible paraplegia syndrome in a short period of time.

(IV) Metastasis to the brain: Edema of intracranial lesions may cause intracranial hypertension, resulting in headache, nausea, and vomiting. The space-occupying effect may also lead to diplopia, ataxia, cranial nerve paralysis, weakness of one side of the limbs, and even hemiplegia.

(V) Metastasis to the pericardium: Pericardial effusion and even signs of pericardial tamponade may occur, with dyspnea, which is more obvious when lying flat, distended jugular veins, low blood pressure, decreased pulse pressure difference, systemic congestion, and decreased urine output.

(6) Metastasis to the adrenal glands, liver and other parts of the body, causing dysfunction of local peripheral organs.

Extrapulmonary manifestations of tumor and systemic symptoms: Extrapulmonary manifestations of tumor include nonspecific systemic symptoms, such as fatigue, anorexia, and weight loss.

To sum up, this is an introduction to the obvious dangers that small cell lung cancer can bring. Therefore, in order to avoid these dangers, we must do a good job in preventing and checking small cell lung cancer in our daily lives.