In patients with small cell lung cancer, stage (limited versus extensive) and performance status are essential prognosis factors, and should be documented at diagnosis in every case.
The stage is an essential prognostic factor in small cell lung cancer, but is usually simplified as either limited or extensive. The definitions of these staging terms are not always consistent between institutions, as the distinction limited disease – defined as that which can be encompassed within an ‘acceptable’ radiotherapy field – is dependent on subjective assessment by a radiation oncologist. There is a case to be made for a more objective staging system, perhaps a return to TNM, to better refine prognostic categories and guide treatment. Additional disease related factors include serum LDH and the presence of brain metastases. Performance status is an essential host related actor, with age, sex and weight loss as additional factors.
Small cell lung cancer is less common than non-small cell lung cancer, but it growth is more aggressive, with a median survival time of only two to four months after diagnosis when untreated. (That is, by two to four months, half of all patients have died.) However, small cell lung cancer has a good responsive to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. But surgical removal and localized radiation therapy are less effective in treating this lung cancer type. Most of those who survive have limited-stage small cell lung cancer.
Main Article: Small Cell Lung Cancer
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