Lung cancer - small cell

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Adenocarcinoma	Adenocarcinoma - chest X-ray	Bronchial cancer - chest X-ray	Bronchial cancer - CT scan
Bronchoscope	Bronchoscopy	Large cell carcinoma	Lung cancer, frontal chest X-ray
Lung cancer, lateral chest X-ray	Lung cancer - chemotherapy treatment	Lungs	Lung with squamous cell cancer - CT scan
Normal lungs and alveoli	Respiratory system	Secondhand smoke and lung cancer	Small cell carcinoma
Smoking hazards	Squamous cell carcinoma

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a fast-growing type of lung cancer. It spreads much more quickly than non-small cell lung cancer.

There are three different types of small cell lung cancer:

• Small cell carcinoma (oat cell cancer)
• Mixed small cell/large cell carcinoma
• Combined small cell carcinoma

Most small cell lung cancers are the oat cell type.

Cancer - lung - small cell; Small cell lung cancer; SCLC

About 15% of all lung cancer cases are small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is slightly more common in men than women.

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Almost all cases of SCLC are due to cigarette smoking. SCLC is rare in those who have never smoked.

SCLC is the most aggressive form of lung cancer. It usually starts in the breathing tubes (bronchi) in the center of the chest. Although the cancer cells are small, they grow very quickly and create large tumors. These tumors often spread rapidly (metastasize) to other parts of the body, including the brain, liver, and bone.

Review Date: 08/09/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.