What are the diagnostic methods for small cell lung cancer

What are the diagnostic methods for small cell lung cancer? Some people feel unwell and probably know that there is something wrong with their lungs. They are also afraid that they have lung cancer, but they don’t understand how it is diagnosed clinically. Everyone has many questions about this issue, so today we will talk about the diagnostic methods for small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer is a pathological type of lung tumor. It can be preliminarily diagnosed based on chest CT scans, and generally a pathological biopsy can confirm the diagnosis. Small cell lung cancer may be asymptomatic in the early stages. The most common symptoms at diagnosis are fatigue (80%), cough (70%), shortness of breath (60%), weight loss (55%), pain (40% to 50%), and hemoptysis (25%). Therefore, a preliminary diagnosis can usually be made based on these symptoms in clinical practice.

High incidence group

Smokers are the most susceptible group, and more than 90% of patients with small cell lung cancer have a history of smoking. The age of onset is 35-68 years old, with an average age of 60 years old, and there are more males than females.

Concurrent illnesses

Pneumonia, arrhythmia

1. Respiratory complications: Pneumonia and sputum retention are the most common respiratory complications of small cell lung cancer. This is because after surgery, the patient's cough is often restricted due to the pain of the wound, which can easily lead to sputum retention, thus causing lung diseases such as atelectasis.

2. Hemothorax, empyema, and bronchopleural fistula: These are common complications after lung cancer surgery, but the incidence is often relatively low. Once hemothorax occurs, it must be treated in time because the disease is very harmful. Empyema is often caused by bronchial and pulmonary secretions contaminating the chest cavity. Bronchopleural fistula is caused by improper surgical operation, bronchial stump cancer retention, etc.

3. Complications of the cardiovascular system: blood pressure, arrhythmia.

What we have discussed above is the diagnostic methods for small cell lung cancer. I hope everyone can have a deep understanding of this issue.