What are the methods for checking small cell lung cancer

What methods are there to check for small cell lung cancer? Small cell lung cancer is a disease that is common in middle-aged men. Because the number of smokers is increasing nowadays, it is not noticeable when young, but becomes apparent when you reach middle age. So what methods are there to check for small cell lung cancer? Let's learn about it together.

Early symptoms include:

1. Cough: It is a common early symptom, mostly irritating dry cough. When the tumor causes bronchial stenosis, a persistent, high-pitched metallic cough may occur. Cough is often accompanied by a small amount of mucus sputum, and when secondary infection occurs, it may be combined with purulent sputum.

2. Hemoptysis: Most cases are blood in sputum or intermittent bloody sputum. In a few cases, severe hemoptysis occurs due to erosion of large blood vessels.

3. Chest tightness and shortness of breath: The tumor causes bronchial stenosis, or the tumor metastasizes to the hilar or mediastinal lymph nodes, and the swollen lymph nodes compress the main bronchus or tracheal carina.

If you have the above symptoms, it is recommended to go to the hospital for the following examinations:

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. Thoracoscopic and open-chest biopsy: For peripheral lesions, mediastinal lesions, or pleural lesions that are difficult to diagnose, thoracoscopy or open-chest exploratory biopsy may be considered.

3. Whole body bone scan: If a whole body bone scan indicates areas of high metabolism, the patient's medical history should be carefully inquired and combined with MRI to determine whether it is metastasis.

4. Tumor marker examination: The main markers are NSE, CEA, SCC, CYFR21-1, etc., which lack specificity and have certain reference value for disease monitoring.