What are the scientific examination methods for small cell lung cancer?

What are the scientific examination methods for small cell lung cancer? The pace of social development is getting faster and faster, and science has made greater breakthroughs. Patients with small cell lung cancer want to know if there are any scientific examination methods besides the usual examinations done in the hospital. Let us learn about it together.

1. Imaging examination methods, SCLC: Common imaging examination methods include chest X-ray, chest film, bone film, CT, MRI, ultrasound, bone scan, PET or PET-CT, etc. The most basic examination should include chest frontal and lateral positions and chest CT scans. The scope of CT scans should be appropriately expanded to include the supraclavicular area and liver, and enhanced scanning and multi-planar reconstruction should be performed as much as possible.

About 60 to 80 percent of SCLC patients are in the extensive stage when they seek medical treatment. The most commonly affected sites are bones, adrenal glands, liver, brain, neck, axilla and abdominal lymph nodes. Radionuclide bone imaging, bone plain film, spinal MRI, abdominal ultrasound, MRI or CT, brain enhanced MRI or CT, neck CT or ultrasound and other examinations can be selected according to clinical needs.

2. Imaging features of SCLC: SCLC often appears as a mass at or around the hilum of the lung on chest radiographs, with asymmetric wavy widening of the mediastinum. The primary tumor lesion is often indistinguishable from the hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes, and obstructive lung changes are relatively mild. Enhanced multi-slice spiral CT scans are the most superior in showing the anatomical range of intrathoracic lesions.

3. Staging: SCLC confirmed by tissue biopsy should be fully examined before treatment for accurate staging. The purpose is to identify the true localized stage and seek the possibility of cure. At the same time, the extent of the lesion should also be recorded to facilitate the evaluation of the efficacy after treatment.

F-FDG-PET is extremely sensitive to SCLC lesions and can detect mediastinal and extramedial lymph nodes and hidden sites or smaller distant metastases that are easily missed by CT. It is more sensitive than CT and bone scans for small bone metastases, but attention should be paid to identifying false-positive concentrations; PET can also exclude some false-positive lesions of CT, especially non-tumor lymphadenopathy. Overall, PET can improve the accuracy of staging. However, the cost-effectiveness needs further evaluation. FDG-PET cannot be used to evaluate brain metastases. PET has not yet been listed as a routine examination item for SCLC staging.

In conclusion, the rational and comprehensive application of various imaging examination methods can improve the accuracy of SCLC pre-treatment staging and efficacy evaluation, which can make clinical treatment more targeted and more accurate, thereby improving efficacy and prolonging survival.