Abstract
SCLC accounts for 15–20% of lung cancer cases with decreasing incidence. Approximately 1/3 of patients present with limited stage disease and the remainder present with extensive stage disease. More than 95% of cases are associated with a history of tobacco exposure. Ten to 15% of patients present with brain metastases and 2 year incidence after chemo-RT is 50–80%. SCLC is the most common solid tumor associated with paraneoplastic syndromes: SIADH, ACTH production syndrome, and Eaton–Lambert syndrome. Histopathologic hallmarks include dense sheets of small, round to fusiform cells with scant cytoplasm, extensive necrosis, and a high mitotic rate. Pathologic subtypes (pure or classic, variant, and mixed) carry the same prognosis. Most important prognostic factors are stage and performance status.
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Bermudez, R.S., Missett, B., Haas-Kogan, D.A. (2010). Small Cell Lung Cancer. In: Hansen, E., Roach, M. (eds) Handbook of Evidence-Based Radiation Oncology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92988-0_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92988-0_14
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