Small cell cancer originates primarily in the lungs, and normally it is not detected until it has started to spread throughout the body. This is a malignant and aggressive form of cancer that can become terminal if it is discovered too late. There are many stages that can be assigned to small cell cancer, but most doctors only use a two-stage system due to the terminal nature of the cancer once it has start to spread.
Identification
Small cell cancer is a malignant form of cancer found in the lungs. It is characterized as either small cell carcinoma, mixed small cell and large cell carcinoma and combined small cell carcinoma. Each name of the small cell cancer is given based on how the cancerous cells spread throughout the body, and how the cells look when observed under a microscope.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the major contributor to small cell cancer is smoking cigarettes. The various stages of small cell cancer are all given their own name in order to more easily identify them, and to determine if they can be cured with treatment.
Limited Stage
The initial stage of small cell cancer is known as limited stage . In this stage the cancerous cells are confined to one lung, the connective tissue that is found between the lungs, and the lymph nodes near and around the lungs. Patients in the initial stage of limited small cell cancer many times can be cured through medications and surgery.
Extensive Stage
Extensive stage small cell cancer is when the cancerous cells have spread to the other side of the body, and are not only affecting the lungs and tissue but they are also affecting the fluid that surrounds the lungs. This allows the cancer to spread to other organs of the body. According to the American Cancer Society, almost 60 percent of the people diagnosed with small cell cancer are diagnosed at this late and extensive stage. A person diagnosed with extensive small cell cancer will more than likely not be treated to be cured, but rather treated to make them as comfortable as possible. Extensive small cell cancer is very likely to be terminal.
TNM System
The American Joint Committee on Cancer developed a more detailed cancer staging system referred to as the TNM system. The T stands for tumor, and it is used to indicate the size of a tumor and to determine how far the tumor has spread. The N indicates nodes, and it is used to determine how cancer is affecting the lymph nodes found near the original infected area. The M stands for metastasized, and it is used to indicate what internal organs the various levels of cancer has spread to. After the letter a number 0 through 4 is used to indicate the severity of that level, and if detailed information cannot be gathered then the letter X is used.
The TNM system is not used very often in the staging of small cell cancer because the difference in treatment and prognosis between the limited stage and extensive stage is standardized. In other words, the treatment for limited stage small cell cancer does not change based on where it is located or how severe it is. Once it reaches the level of extensive stage, there are almost no treatment options so assigning variant levels will not be applicable to most cases of small cell cancer. However, when the TNM system can be used to help better diagnose a patient, it is used and mostly in the limited stage.
Survival Rate
The various stages of the TNM system are arranged into staging groups, and the survival rate of the patient depends on the group. The stage groupings are labeled with Roman numerals, and they go from stage grouping I to stage grouping IV.
For example, the T stage of grouping IV is any tumor of any size affecting any organ. The N stage of grouping IV is any damage to the lymph nodes anywhere in the body, and the M stage is M1, which means that the cancer has spread to one or more areas beyond its point of origin. Patients in stage grouping IV have a less than 2 percent chance of survival beyond five years.
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