Can small cell lung cancer be cured?

Diseases like small cell lung cancer have frequently appeared in our lives in recent years. When many people hear that they have small cell lung cancer, they wonder if they are going to die soon because it cannot be cured. Although this disease is very complicated and difficult to treat, as long as you actively cooperate with the doctor, you can still alleviate the condition. Let's find out together whether small cell lung cancer can be cured?

Small cell lung cancer is a highly malignant tumor characterized by a short tumor doubling time, rapid development, early dissemination and rapid growth. About two-thirds of patients are already in the extensive stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. Untreated extensive stage patients can only survive 6 to 12 weeks, and limited stage patients can only survive 3 to 6 months. Small cell lung cancer is often treated with systemic treatment, with chemotherapy as the main treatment method. Due to the biological characteristics of small cell lung cancer, it is more sensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The initial treatment effect is better, and most patients can achieve CR, but the long-term effect is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of only 5% to 10%. Although chemotherapy can achieve a high efficacy for small cell lung cancer, the recurrence rate of chest tumors after chemotherapy alone is close to 75%. Chest radiotherapy still has a local recurrence rate of 25 to 30%.

The currently recognized treatment strategy is a comprehensive treatment plan centered on chemotherapy. Among them, the participation of surgery is an important part of the comprehensive treatment of small cell lung cancer. Many studies at home and abroad have shown that surgical treatment combined with chemotherapy is effective in treating small cell lung cancer and can control local recurrence. The survival of patients with chemotherapy plus surgery is better than that of chemotherapy alone. Foreign doctors have proposed the theoretical basis for the participation of surgery in the treatment of small cell lung cancer. Because local recurrence is still a problem, surgical resection may provide a better opportunity for tumor control. Surgery is used to enhance local control. Unlike radiotherapy, it will not affect or limit the dose intensity of chemotherapy. Complete surgical staging can identify patients with a high risk of recurrence. Because surgery can completely remove the tumor in the patient's chest without affecting the patient's bone marrow function, surgery may make chemotherapy more effective.

Surgery is beneficial for patients with early localized small cell lung cancer. However, there are still differences. For example, there is no dispute that patients with stage I small cell lung cancer who are pathologically diagnosed before treatment are suitable for surgery, but there is still great controversy as to whether patients with stage II to IIIa are suitable for surgery. Due to the growth characteristics of tumor cells and intraoperative manipulation, squeezing bleeding and micro-metastases in organs, chemotherapy must be supplemented after surgery. Two cycles of chemotherapy are used before surgery, which can not only have a certain control over tumor cells but also produce only mild blood toxicity, which is beneficial to surgery and postoperative recovery.