What tests should be done for small cell lung cancer

What tests are needed for small cell lung cancer? Many people don’t know much about small cell lung cancer. Many patients with small cell lung cancer are very anxious and don’t know what tests can be done to confirm the diagnosis. So what tests are needed for small cell lung cancer? Let’s discuss it with us below.

Auxiliary examination: chest X-ray examination is the simplest, most convenient and cheapest examination method.

1. Chest computerized tomography (CT): It can show lesions that cannot be found by ordinary X-ray examination, and show the scope and degree of involvement of the hilar lymph nodes and mediastinum.

2. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): It is not as good as CT in detecting small lung lesions, but it can more clearly show the relationship between the tumor and large blood vessels. When determining whether there is intracranial metastasis, enhanced MRI is the first choice. Positron emission tomography (PET): Whole-body PET is significantly more accurate than CT and radionuclide bone scanning in determining intrapulmonary masses, lymph nodes or distant metastases.

3. Cytological examination: The positive rate is related to the location and size of the tumor, the quality of sputum, whether there is concurrent infection, etc. The detection rate of central lung cancer is higher, but it is difficult to determine the type, and it is not recommended for use at present.

4. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy: It can observe the location, size and extent of the tumor infiltrating into the bronchial cavity, and obtain tissue for pathological examination. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a new technology. For lesions with only airway compression but no intracavitary tumors, this examination can help clarify the extent of the lesion and improve the accuracy of transmural biopsy.

5. Skin puncture lung biopsy: It is performed under the guidance of CT. The biopsy positive rate is as high as 90%. If the tumor contains a large amount of necrotic area, it is often false negative.

6. Mediastinoscopy: For cases that are difficult to diagnose with conventional methods, mediastinoscopy and biopsy can be considered. It has great significance for differential diagnosis of upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis or anterior mediastinal lymph node invasion.

Finally, it is differentiated from other types of lung cancer through pathological examination.