What are the symptoms of Small Cell Lung Cancer?

According to the American Cancer Society, “About 10% to 15% of all lung cancers are small cell lung cancer (SCLC), named for the small cells that make up these cancers. Other names for SCLC are oat cell cancer, oat cell carcinoma, and small cell undifferentiated carcinoma. SCLC often starts in the bronchi near the center of the chest, and it tends to spread widely through the body fairly early in the course of the disease (usually before it starts to cause symptoms). The cancer cells can multiply quickly and spread to lymph nodes and other organs, such as the bones, brain, adrenal glands, and liver. ” Read through to know, what are the various signs and symptoms of small cell lung cancer are.

The early signs of oat cell cancer include the following:

•    persistent cough or coughing up blood
•    swelling of the face and neck
•    shortness of breath
•    wheezing and hoarseness
•    repeated episodes of pneumonia or bronchitis
•    fatigue
•    unexplained weight loss.


If the cancer spreads to other regions of the body, it will lead to below mentioned symptoms:

•    In case it has affected bones, a person may experience intense backache, pain in the hips and ribs.
•    If it has metastasised to the brain, a person may experience weakness, seizures, vision changes, jaundice and headache. By the time SCLC is diagnosed, it has often invaded brain due to its rapid frequency of metastasising.


Some of the paraneoplastic syndromes that are often confused with the signs of other ailments are given here:

•    loss of appetite
•    weakness
•    weight gain
•    vomiting
•    restlessness or nausea
•    muscle weakness
•    confusion
•    cramps.

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