Small Cell Lung Cancer: Let's connect

Posted by Merry, Alumni Mentor @merpreb, Jan 12, 2019

Most of the discussions about lung cancer has been about Non-small cell lung cancers. There are many sub-types of this that are included. But there is another type of lung cancer that needs to be discussed and that is Small Cell Lung Cancer. This aggressive form of lung cancer most commonly occurs in smokers. It usually starts in the breathing tubes (bronchi) and grows very quickly, creating large tumors and spreading (metastasizing) throughout the body.
Symptoms include bloody phlegm, cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Treatment includes surgery (for small tumors) as well as chemotherapy, sometimes in combination with radiation therapy.
Lung cancers cells are sometimes classified by where they tend to grow.
There have been huge breakthroughs in lung cancer research of late.
Please join @margot69 and I in this new disussion.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Cancer Support Group.

4 weeks ago l got lobectomie in my write lung and l find out was carcinoma stage 2b they told me he spread in my lymph node they take out with the operation on 9 lymph node they give to the biopsy l got just 2 with cancer in it and they take pet scan before my lobectomie and he dint spread anaywhere else
I’m really scared but l try to stay positive next week they gone to call me if l need chimo and radiation to be sure l got nothing else
My Dc told me everything his gone but we never know if got some so small that can see

Did somebody can tell me if they got the same thing happen to them lf we can get get cure or not
Thank you

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@joe6767

4 weeks ago l got lobectomie in my write lung and l find out was carcinoma stage 2b they told me he spread in my lymph node they take out with the operation on 9 lymph node they give to the biopsy l got just 2 with cancer in it and they take pet scan before my lobectomie and he dint spread anaywhere else
I’m really scared but l try to stay positive next week they gone to call me if l need chimo and radiation to be sure l got nothing else
My Dc told me everything his gone but we never know if got some so small that can see

Did somebody can tell me if they got the same thing happen to them lf we can get get cure or not
Thank you

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I recently had a lobectomy and like you, my PET Scan was negative for any cancer activity elsewhere. My nodes were also negative but my understanding is that Stage 2 requires some chemo but not a lot and is still considered early stage and curable. Hang in there. I know it’s hard not worry but it sounds as if you are in good shape.

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@joe6767

4 weeks ago l got lobectomie in my write lung and l find out was carcinoma stage 2b they told me he spread in my lymph node they take out with the operation on 9 lymph node they give to the biopsy l got just 2 with cancer in it and they take pet scan before my lobectomie and he dint spread anaywhere else
I’m really scared but l try to stay positive next week they gone to call me if l need chimo and radiation to be sure l got nothing else
My Dc told me everything his gone but we never know if got some so small that can see

Did somebody can tell me if they got the same thing happen to them lf we can get get cure or not
Thank you

Jump to this post

Was it small cell?

REPLY
@joe6767

4 weeks ago l got lobectomie in my write lung and l find out was carcinoma stage 2b they told me he spread in my lymph node they take out with the operation on 9 lymph node they give to the biopsy l got just 2 with cancer in it and they take pet scan before my lobectomie and he dint spread anaywhere else
I’m really scared but l try to stay positive next week they gone to call me if l need chimo and radiation to be sure l got nothing else
My Dc told me everything his gone but we never know if got some so small that can see

Did somebody can tell me if they got the same thing happen to them lf we can get get cure or not
Thank you

Jump to this post

Hello Joe- First let me welcome you to Mayo Connect. I hope that you are recovering well from your surgery. How long ago did you have your lobectomy? I'm sure that you are frightened but it sounds as if your doctor acted quickly as your tumor was caught relatively early was small and the PET scan showed that your cancer, at the time of the surgery at least, had not metastasized. This is all good news for you.

Small cell carcinoma- Small-cell lung cancer starts when healthy cells in your lungs mutate or change into cancerous cells. These cells then divide and multiply uncontrollably. Eventually, the cancerous cells clump together in masses (tumors) in your lungs.

There are two types of small-cell lung cancer.
Small cell carcinoma: This is the most common form of small cell lung cancer.
Combined small cell carcinoma: Combined small cell carcinoma represents about 2% to 5% of all small cell carcinomas. This small cell type is a combination of non-small cell and small cell lung cancer cells.

There are people who have not died from small-cell lung cancer. What is the next step for you now that your operation is complete?

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@merpreb

Hello Joe- First let me welcome you to Mayo Connect. I hope that you are recovering well from your surgery. How long ago did you have your lobectomy? I'm sure that you are frightened but it sounds as if your doctor acted quickly as your tumor was caught relatively early was small and the PET scan showed that your cancer, at the time of the surgery at least, had not metastasized. This is all good news for you.

Small cell carcinoma- Small-cell lung cancer starts when healthy cells in your lungs mutate or change into cancerous cells. These cells then divide and multiply uncontrollably. Eventually, the cancerous cells clump together in masses (tumors) in your lungs.

There are two types of small-cell lung cancer.
Small cell carcinoma: This is the most common form of small cell lung cancer.
Combined small cell carcinoma: Combined small cell carcinoma represents about 2% to 5% of all small cell carcinomas. This small cell type is a combination of non-small cell and small cell lung cancer cells.

There are people who have not died from small-cell lung cancer. What is the next step for you now that your operation is complete?

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My Dc call me when they biopsy 9 lymph node they find 2 of them with cancer in it
He told me no tumour left inside of me
But just to be sure
Oncologist suppose to call me next week to see if l need some radiation and chimo are if l don’t need nothing anaymore
I’m scare but lm positive
Be 4 week on the 21 of December l got my lobectomie
Thank you to respond to me mean a lot:)

REPLY
@joe6767

My Dc call me when they biopsy 9 lymph node they find 2 of them with cancer in it
He told me no tumour left inside of me
But just to be sure
Oncologist suppose to call me next week to see if l need some radiation and chimo are if l don’t need nothing anaymore
I’m scare but lm positive
Be 4 week on the 21 of December l got my lobectomie
Thank you to respond to me mean a lot:)

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9 lymph node they take out with my lobectomie

REPLY
@joe6767

My Dc call me when they biopsy 9 lymph node they find 2 of them with cancer in it
He told me no tumour left inside of me
But just to be sure
Oncologist suppose to call me next week to see if l need some radiation and chimo are if l don’t need nothing anaymore
I’m scare but lm positive
Be 4 week on the 21 of December l got my lobectomie
Thank you to respond to me mean a lot:)

Jump to this post

You are most welcome. After having cancer fear of recurrences or metastases is very normal. After all, cancers can and do kill. It is almost like a shooting match on who wins. Things have to line up perfectly. This is all new for you so your fear is probably at its highest for the time being. It also seems to be the time when people re-evaluate their lives, think deeply about their own mortality, and make changes. Since you are still recovering physically, how are you other than fearful?

REPLY
@joe6767

My Dc call me when they biopsy 9 lymph node they find 2 of them with cancer in it
He told me no tumour left inside of me
But just to be sure
Oncologist suppose to call me next week to see if l need some radiation and chimo are if l don’t need nothing anaymore
I’m scare but lm positive
Be 4 week on the 21 of December l got my lobectomie
Thank you to respond to me mean a lot:)

Jump to this post

It’s very scary. I had a 5cm tumor left upper lung and I also had two positive lymph nodes. I would imagine you’ll just have chemotherapy because I think that they only radiate tumors. You are blessed because it was found so early.

In 2021 I was sick and my doctor thought I had pneumonia because the radiologist read my tumor as that. Three X-rays later two months later began coughing up blood. I knew I was in trouble. I finally went to ER to get checked.
When they learned I had smoked for over 30 years they CT’d it found the “pneumonia’ was actually a tumor. No operation because it was so close to my pulmonary artery. Surgery for small cell is rare which is why I asked if yours was. Stay off google. Many prayers 🙏

REPLY
@mustangdee64

It’s very scary. I had a 5cm tumor left upper lung and I also had two positive lymph nodes. I would imagine you’ll just have chemotherapy because I think that they only radiate tumors. You are blessed because it was found so early.

In 2021 I was sick and my doctor thought I had pneumonia because the radiologist read my tumor as that. Three X-rays later two months later began coughing up blood. I knew I was in trouble. I finally went to ER to get checked.
When they learned I had smoked for over 30 years they CT’d it found the “pneumonia’ was actually a tumor. No operation because it was so close to my pulmonary artery. Surgery for small cell is rare which is why I asked if yours was. Stay off google. Many prayers 🙏

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Hello
Mind was 3.5 cm stage 2b
I got lobectomie be one month on the 21 December
Oncologist suppose to call next week to find out if l need chimo and radiation or not but I’m pretty sure they gone to tell me l need some my Dc told me he take everything out but just to be sure

And you did you do chimo are you finish? I hope everything his ok with you
Google my son tell me the same thing it’s really scary when you ask questions at google

I be happy if you told me more about you what did they do to you

Thank you 🙏 hope l talk to soon then l know I’m not alone thank you

REPLY
@merpreb

You are most welcome. After having cancer fear of recurrences or metastases is very normal. After all, cancers can and do kill. It is almost like a shooting match on who wins. Things have to line up perfectly. This is all new for you so your fear is probably at its highest for the time being. It also seems to be the time when people re-evaluate their lives, think deeply about their own mortality, and make changes. Since you are still recovering physically, how are you other than fearful?

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I’m ok
I got 2 son there really good to me
And l really bealive in my Dc
When he told me everything his out l bealive him l stay positive sometimes l cry but we all need that
I’m waiting for that call oncologist to see what they have to offer me
I’m a psw l see many thing in my life
I just hope they catch me really early
It’s because l got a ct scan for my neck l hurt myself with a client and l got a neck fusion 4 months ago it’s really painful do physio for my neck help my lung at the same time how to breathe better etc… l got rode and screw and they make a ct scan and they find 2 nodule in my write lung l was lucky l think l hope:)

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