关于小细胞肺癌的基本信息
小细胞肺癌是指在肺组织中形成了恶性（癌）细胞的疾病。
肺是位于胸腔内的一对圆锥形的呼吸器官。当你吸气时，肺将氧气带入体内。当你呼气时，肺会释放二氧化碳，这是一种由人体细胞产生的废料。每侧肺都由肺叶组成。左肺有两个肺叶。右肺比左肺稍微大些，有三个肺叶。两条被称作支气管的导管，从气管开始延伸至左肺和右肺。肺癌有时会累及支气管。肺的内部由名为肺泡的微小气囊和名为细支气管的小管组成。
呼吸系统的解剖图，显示了气管、两肺及其肺叶和气道，也显示出淋巴结和横膈。氧气被吸入肺部，通过肺泡的薄膜进入血液(见插图)。
有两种类型的肺癌：小细胞肺癌及非小细胞肺癌。
这份摘要是关于小细胞肺癌及其疗法的。获取更多关于肺癌的信息，请参阅以下PDQ摘要。
小细胞肺癌主要有两种类型。
这两种类型包括许多不同种类的细胞。每种类型的癌症细胞以不同的方式生长扩散。小细胞肺癌类型的命名是以在癌症中发现的细胞种类以及这些细胞在显微镜下所观察到的形态为依据的：
吸烟是小细胞肺癌的主要风险因素
任何增加患病几率的因素都被称为危险因素。有危险因素并不意味着你会得癌症;没有危险因素并不意味着你不会得癌症。如果你认为自己有患肺癌的风险，请咨询你的医生。
肺癌的风险因素包括以下几种：
年龄大是大多数癌症的主要危险因素。随着年龄的增长，患癌症的几率会增加。
当吸烟和其他风险因素同时存在时，患肺癌的风险增加。
小细胞肺癌的症状以及体征包括咳嗽，呼吸短促，胸部疼痛。
这些或其他的症状和体征有可能是由小细胞肺癌或者是其他疾病引起的。如果您有以下情况，请咨询您的医生：
用于检测（发现）、诊断小细胞肺癌以及对小细胞肺癌进行分期的肺部检查方法。
可能采用以下检查和处理流程：
胸部x线检查。x射线被用来拍摄胸部器官和骨骼的照片。x射线穿过病人的身体，并将影像映射到胶片上。
肺部细针穿刺活检。病人躺在一张可以穿过计算机断层扫描(CT)仪的检查台上，CT扫描仪可以拍摄身体内部的x光片。x光片帮助医生看清楚肺异常组织的位置。活检针穿过胸腔壁，插入异常的肺组织区域。通过针取出一小片组织，在显微镜下检查是否有癌症迹象。
支气管镜检。支气管镜通过口腔、气管和主支气管插入肺内，以寻找异常区域。支气管镜是一种细管状仪器，上面带有一个镜头和一个光源以便观察。它也可能带有切除组织的工具。取出的组织要在显微镜下进行检查，以寻找疾病的迹象。
某些因素影响预后（康复的可能性）以及治疗选项。
预后（复发的几率）和治疗方案取决于以下因素：
对于某些患者而言，预后也取决于患者是否接受化学疗法和放射疗法两种疗法。
对大多数的小细胞肺癌患者来说，目前的治疗方案并不能治愈癌症。
如果肺癌被发现，患者应考虑参加一项旨在改善治疗的临床试验。目前国家许多地区正在开展面向各种分期的小细胞肺癌患者的临床试验。关于正在进行的临床试验的信息可从NCI的网页中获得。
General Information About Small Cell Lung Cancer
Small cell lung cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the lung.
The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped breathing organs that are found in the chest. The lungs bring oxygen into the body when you breathe in and take out carbon dioxide when you breathe out. Each lung has sections called lobes. The left lung has two lobes. The right lung, which is slightly larger, has three. A thin membrane called the pleura surrounds the lungs. Two tubes called bronchi lead from the trachea (windpipe) to the right and left lungs. The bronchi are sometimes also affected by lung cancer. Small tubes called bronchioles and tiny air sacs called alveoli make up the inside of the lungs.
Anatomy of the respiratory system, showing the trachea and both lungs and their lobes and airways. Lymph nodes and the diaphragm are also shown. Oxygen is inhaled into the lungs and passes through the thin membranes of the alveoli and into the bloodstream (see inset).
There are two types of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
This summary is about small cell lung cancer and its treatment. See the following PDQ summaries for more information about lung cancer:
There are two main types of small cell lung cancer.
These two types include many different types of cells. The cancer cells of each type grow and spread in different ways. The types of small cell lung cancer are named for the kinds of cells found in the cancer and how the cells look when viewed under a microscope:
Smoking is the major risk factor for small cell lung cancer.
Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn't mean that you will not get cancer. Talk to your doctor if you think you may be at risk for lung cancer.
Risk factors for lung cancer include the following:
Older age is the main risk factor for most cancers. The chance of getting cancer increases as you get older.
When smoking is combined with other risk factors, the risk of lung cancer is increased.
Signs and symptoms of small cell lung cancer include coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by small cell lung cancer or by other conditions. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following:
Tests and procedures that examine the lungs are used to detect (find), diagnose, and stage small cell lung cancer.
The following tests and procedures may be used:
X-ray of the chest. X-rays are used to take pictures of organs and bones of the chest. X-rays pass through the patient onto film.
Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the lung. The patient lies on a table that slides through the computed tomography (CT) machine, which takes x-ray pictures of the inside of the body. The x-ray pictures help the doctor see where the abnormal tissue is in the lung. A biopsy needle is inserted through the chest wall and into the area of abnormal lung tissue. A small piece of tissue is removed through the needle and checked under the microscope for signs of cancer.
Bronchoscopy. A bronchoscope is inserted through the mouth, trachea, and major bronchi into the lung, to look for abnormal areas. A bronchoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a cutting tool. Tissue samples may be taken to be checked under a microscope for signs of disease.
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:
For certain patients, prognosis also depends on whether the patient is treated with both chemotherapy and radiation.
For most patients with small cell lung cancer, current treatments do not cure the cancer.
If lung cancer is found, patients should think about taking part in one of the many clinical trials being done to improve treatment. Clinical trials are taking place in most parts of the country for patients with all stages of small cell lung cancer. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
小细胞肺癌的不同分期
在小细胞肺癌被诊断之后，将进行检查，查明癌细胞是否在胸腔内扩散，或者已扩散至身体其他部位。
确定癌细胞是否在肺内或身体其他部位扩散的过程称为分期。在分期过程中收集的信息最终决定疾病的分期。为了制定治疗计划，了解分期是很重要的。一些用于诊断非小细胞肺癌的检测也用于分期。（请参阅“常用信息”部分。）
在分期过程中可能使用的其他检测及程序包括:
癌症在体内有三种扩散方式。
癌细胞可通过组织，淋巴系统以及血液扩散：
癌细胞可以从它发生的地方扩散到人体其他部位。
癌症转移是指癌症扩散至身体其他部位。癌细胞从原发处（原发性肿瘤）脱离，侵入淋巴系统或血液。
转移性肿瘤与原发性肿瘤类型相同。例如，如果非小细胞肺癌扩散至大脑，则脑中的癌细胞实际上仍为肺癌细胞。该病应称为转移性肺癌，而非脑癌。
许多癌症死亡是由于癌细胞从原发肿瘤扩散到其他组织和器官。这被称为转移癌。这个动画展示了癌细胞是如何从体内最初形成的位置转移到身体的其他部位的。
小细胞肺癌的分期如下：
局限期小细胞肺癌
在局限期，恶性肿瘤在最初出现在肺部的地方，可能已经扩散到肺部之间的区域，或者扩散到锁骨以上的淋巴结。
广泛期小细胞肺癌
在广泛期，恶性肿瘤已扩散至超过肺部的区域，或肺部之间的区域，或锁骨以上的淋巴结，进入 身体其他部位。
Stages of Small Cell Lung Cancer
After small cell lung cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the chest or to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the chest or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment. Some of the tests used to diagnose small cell lung cancer are also used to stage the disease. (See the General Information section.)
Other tests and procedures that may be used in the staging process include the following:
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if small cell lung cancer spreads to the brain, the cancer cells in the brain are actually lung cancer cells. The disease is metastatic small cell lung cancer, not brain cancer.
Many cancer deaths are caused when cancer moves from the original tumor and spreads to other tissues and organs. This is called metastatic cancer. This animation shows how cancer cells travel from the place in the body where they first formed to other parts of the body.
The following stages are used for small cell lung cancer:
Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
In limited-stage, cancer is in the lung where it started and may have spread to the area between the lungs or to the lymph nodes above the collarbone.
Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
In extensive-stage, cancer has spread beyond the lung or the area between the lungs or the lymph nodes above the collarbone to other places in the body.
治疗方案概述
对于患小细胞肺癌的患者，有不同类型的治疗方案。
有不同类型的治疗方案可供小细胞肺癌患者选择。一些治疗方法是标准方法（当前使用的疗法），还有一些正在进行临床试验。治疗方法临床试验是一项研究，旨在帮助改善现有的治疗方法或获取有关癌症患者的新治疗方法的信息。当临床试验表明，新的治疗方法比标准疗法更好时，新的治疗方法可能成为标准疗法。患者可能考虑参加临床试验。一些临床试验只对未开始治疗的患者开放。
目前正在使用六种标准治疗方法：
手术
如果只在一个肺或和临近的淋巴结中发现癌症，可以采用手术治疗。因为这种类型的肺癌通常在两个肺中发现，单独手术治疗的方法并不常采用。手术期间，医生还会切除淋巴结，检查里面是否有癌细胞。手术有时还用于获取肺组织样本，以确定肺癌的具体类型。
手术时医生切除所能看到的所有癌症病灶后，一些病人可能会在手术后接受化疗或放疗，以杀死任何可能残留的癌细胞。手术后给予的治疗，用以降低癌症复发的风险，被称为辅助治疗。
化疗
化学疗法是使用药物阻止癌细胞的生长，杀死癌细胞或者是阻止细胞分裂的一种癌症治疗方法。化疗药物可通过口服，静脉注射或者是肌肉注射的方式，进入到血液中，并可到达全身的癌细胞（全身化疗）。当化疗药物直接进入脑脊液、器官或者是体腔（例如腹腔）时，药物主要影响这些区域的癌细胞（局部化疗）。采用何种化疗方法取决于接受治疗的癌症类型及癌症分期。
关于更多信息，请参阅小细胞肺癌的药物批准。
放射治疗
放射治疗是一种癌症治疗方法，使用高能x射线或其他类型的辐射杀死癌细胞或阻止癌细胞生长。放射治疗有两种类型:
放射治疗的方式取决于癌症的分型和分期。体外放射治疗用于治疗小细胞肺癌，也可作为姑息性治疗，以减轻症状和改善生活质量。也可以对大脑进行放射治疗，以降低癌症扩散到大脑的风险。
免疫治疗
免疫治疗是一种利用病人的免疫系统对抗癌症的疗法。人体产生或实验室制备的物质用于增强、引导或恢复人体对癌症的天然防御。这种癌症治疗也被称为生物治疗。
免疫检查点抑制剂治疗是一种免疫治疗:
有两种类型的免疫检查点抑制剂治疗:
免疫检查点抑制剂。检查点蛋白，如抗原呈递细胞(APC)上的B7-1/B7-2和T细胞上的CTLA-4，有助于控制身体的免疫反应。当T细胞受体(TCR)与APC上的抗原和主要组织相容性复合物(MHC)蛋白结合，CD28与APC上的B7-1/B7-2结合时，T细胞被激活。然而，B7-1/B7-2与CTLA-4的结合使T细胞处于失活状态，因此它们不能杀死体内的肿瘤细胞(左图)。用免疫检查点抑制剂(抗CTLA-4抗体)阻断B7-1/B7-2与CTLA-4的结合，激活T细胞并杀死肿瘤细胞(右图)。
免疫检查点抑制剂。肿瘤细胞上的PD-L1和T细胞上的PD-1等检查点蛋白有助于抑制免疫反应。PD-L1与PD-1的结合阻止了T细胞杀死体内的肿瘤细胞(左图)。用免疫检查点抑制剂(抗PD-L1或抗PD-1)阻断PD-L1与PD-1的结合，使T细胞能够杀死肿瘤细胞(右图)。
免疫治疗利用人体的免疫系统来对抗癌症。这个动画解释了一种使用免疫检查点抑制剂来治疗癌症的免疫治疗。
关于更多信息，请参阅小细胞肺癌的药物批准。
激光治疗
激光治疗是利用激光束（一种窄束强光）来杀死癌细胞。
内窥镜支架放置术
内窥镜是一种细的、管状仪器，用于观察人体内部的组织。内窥镜有光源及用于观测的镜头，可能用于在身体结构内放置一个支架来保持结构张开。内窥镜支架也可用于打开被异常组织阻塞的气道。
新型疗法正处于临床试验的测试阶段。
有关临床试验的信息可从NCI网站上获得。
小细胞肺癌的治疗可能会引起副作用。
有关癌症治疗的副作用的信息，请参阅我们的副作用页面。
患者可能会考虑加入到临床试验中。
对一些患者来说，参加临床试验或许是最佳的治疗选择。临床试验是癌症研究过程的一部分。临床试验的目的是为了确定新疗法是否安全有效或优于标准疗法。
很多现在的标准疗法都是基于以前的临床试验结果。参与临床试验的患者可能接受标准治疗，也可能最先接受新疗法。
参加临床试验的患者还能帮助改善癌症未来的治疗方式。即使未能研究出有效的新疗法，临床试验也常常能解决一些重要的问题，推进研究。
患者可以在开始癌症治疗之前、期间或之后进入临床试验。
有些临床试验只允许未经治疗的患者参加。有些试验针对病情未好转的癌症患者。还有一些临床试验旨在研究新的措施来防止癌症复发（再次发作）或减少癌症治疗副作用。
临床试验正在全国许多地方进行。有关NCI支持的临床试验的信息可在NCI的临床试验搜索网站上找到。其他组织支持的临床试验可以在ClinicalTrials.gov网站上找到。
可能需要后续检查
确诊癌症或确定其分期可能需要重复检查。为判断治疗效果也应多次检查。这些检查结果会决定是否需要继续治疗、或改变治疗方案。
在治疗结束后，还会持续的做一些检查。这些检查的结果可以表明你的健康状况是否发生改变，或者癌症是否复发（再发）。这些检查被叫做随访检查或者复查。
Treatment Option Overview
There are different types of treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer.
Different types of treatment are available for patients with small cell lung cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Six types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
Surgery may be used if the cancer is found in one lung and in nearby lymph nodes only. Because this type of lung cancer is usually found in both lungs, surgery alone is not often used. During surgery, the doctor will also remove lymph nodes to find out if they have cancer in them. Sometimes, surgery may be used to remove a sample of lung tissue to find out the exact type of lung cancer.
After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
See Drugs Approved for Small Cell Lung Cancer for more information.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy:
The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. External radiation therapy is used to treat small cell lung cancer, and may also be used as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Radiation therapy to the brain to lessen the risk that cancer will spread to the brain may also be given.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or biologic therapy.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is a type of immunotherapy:
There are two types of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy:
Immune checkpoint inhibitor. Checkpoint proteins, such as B7-1/B7-2 on antigen-presenting cells (APC) and CTLA-4 on T cells, help keep the body’s immune responses in check. When the T-cell receptor (TCR) binds to antigen and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins on the APC and CD28 binds to B7-1/B7-2 on the APC, the T cell can be activated. However, the binding of B7-1/B7-2 to CTLA-4 keeps the T cells in the inactive state so they are not able to kill tumor cells in the body (left panel). Blocking the binding of B7-1/B7-2 to CTLA-4 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-CTLA-4 antibody) allows the T cells to be active and to kill tumor cells (right panel).
Immune checkpoint inhibitor. Checkpoint proteins, such as PD-L1 on tumor cells and PD-1 on T cells, help keep immune responses in check. The binding of PD-L1 to PD-1 keeps T cells from killing tumor cells in the body (left panel). Blocking the binding of PD-L1 to PD-1 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-1) allows the T cells to kill tumor cells (right panel).
Immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. This animation explains one type of immunotherapy that uses immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer.
See Drugs Approved for Small Cell Lung Cancer for more information.
Laser therapy
Laser therapy is a cancer treatment that uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) to kill cancer cells.
Endoscopic stent placement
An endoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument used to look at tissues inside the body. An endoscope has a light and a lens for viewing and may be used to place a stent in a body structure to keep the structure open. An endoscopic stent can be used to open an airway blocked by abnormal tissue.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Treatment for small cell lung cancer may cause side effects.
For information about side effects caused by treatment for cancer, see our Side Effects page.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials supported by NCI can be found on NCI’s clinical trials search webpage. Clinical trials supported by other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.
根据分期的治疗方案
有关以下列出的治疗方法信息，请参阅治疗选择概述部分。
局限期小细胞肺癌
局限期小细胞肺癌的治疗方法如下所示：
使用我们的临床试验搜索，您可以查找在NCI支持癌症临床试验中，有哪些目前正在招募患者。您可以根据癌症类型、患者年龄和试验地点，搜索临床试验。您还可以获得有关临床试验的基本信息。
广泛期小细胞肺癌
广泛期小细胞肺癌的治疗方法如下所示：
使用我们的临床试验搜索，您可以查找在NCI支持癌症临床试验中，有哪些目前正在招募患者。您可以根据癌症类型、患者年龄和试验地点，搜索临床试验。您还可以获得有关临床试验的基本信息。
Treatment Options by Stage
For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
Treatment of limited-stage small cell lung cancer may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
Treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
复发性小细胞肺癌的治疗选项
有关以下列出的治疗方法信息，请参阅治疗选择概述部分。
复发性小细胞肺癌的治疗包含以下方法：
使用我们的临床试验搜索，您可以查找在NCI支持癌症临床试验中，有哪些目前正在招募患者。您可以根据癌症类型、患者年龄和试验地点，搜索临床试验。您还可以获得有关临床试验的基本信息。
Treatment Options for Recurrent Small Cell Lung Cancer
For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
Treatment of recurrent small cell lung cancer may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
以了解更多关于小细胞肺癌的信息
更多来自国家癌症研究所的有关小细胞肺癌的信息，请参阅以下内容：
如想了解国家癌症研究所发布的基本癌症信息和其他资源，请参阅以下内容：
To Learn More About Small Cell Lung Cancer
For more information from the National Cancer Institute about small cell lung cancer, see the following:
For general cancer information and other resources from the National Cancer Institute, see the following:
About This PDQ Summary
About PDQ
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government’s center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of small cell lung cancer. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Reviewers and Updates
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board.
Clinical Trial Information
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Permission to Use This Summary
PDQ is a registered trademark. The content of PDQ documents can be used freely as text. It cannot be identified as an NCI PDQ cancer information summary unless the whole summary is shown and it is updated regularly. However, a user would be allowed to write a sentence such as “NCI’s PDQ cancer information summary about breast cancer prevention states the risks in the following way: [include excerpt from the summary].”
The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:
PDQ® Adult Treatment Editorial Board. PDQ Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated
Images in this summary are used with permission of the author(s), artist, and/or publisher for use in the PDQ summaries only. If you want to use an image from a PDQ summary and you are not using the whole summary, you must get permission from the owner. It cannot be given by the National Cancer Institute. Information about using the images in this summary, along with many other images related to cancer can be found in Visuals Online. Visuals Online is a collection of more than 3,000 scientific images.
Disclaimer
The information in these summaries should not be used to make decisions about insurance reimbursement. More information on insurance coverage is available on Cancer.gov on the Managing Cancer Care page.
Contact Us
More information about contacting us or receiving help with the Cancer.gov website can be found on our Contact Us for Help page. Questions can also be submitted to Cancer.gov through the website’s E-mail Us.
About This PDQ Summary
About PDQ
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government’s center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of small cell lung cancer. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Reviewers and Updates
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board.
Clinical Trial Information
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Permission to Use This Summary
PDQ is a registered trademark. The content of PDQ documents can be used freely as text. It cannot be identified as an NCI PDQ cancer information summary unless the whole summary is shown and it is updated regularly. However, a user would be allowed to write a sentence such as “NCI’s PDQ cancer information summary about breast cancer prevention states the risks in the following way: [include excerpt from the summary].”
The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:
PDQ® Adult Treatment Editorial Board. PDQ Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated
Images in this summary are used with permission of the author(s), artist, and/or publisher for use in the PDQ summaries only. If you want to use an image from a PDQ summary and you are not using the whole summary, you must get permission from the owner. It cannot be given by the National Cancer Institute. Information about using the images in this summary, along with many other images related to cancer can be found in Visuals Online. Visuals Online is a collection of more than 3,000 scientific images.
Disclaimer
The information in these summaries should not be used to make decisions about insurance reimbursement. More information on insurance coverage is available on Cancer.gov on the Managing Cancer Care page.
Contact Us
More information about contacting us or receiving help with the Cancer.gov website can be found on our Contact Us for Help page. Questions can also be submitted to Cancer.gov through the website’s E-mail Us.