General Information About Small Cell Lung Cancer Small cell lung
cancer (SCLC) accounts for approximately 15% of bronchogenic
carcinomas. At the time of diagnosis, approximately 30% of
patients with SCLC will have tumors confined to the hemithorax
of origin, the mediastinum, or the supraclavicular lymph nodes.
These patients are designated as having limited-stage disease
(LD). Patients with tumors that have spread beyond the
supraclavicular areas are said to have extensive-stage disease
(ED). SCLC is more responsive to chemotherapy and radiation
therapy than other cell types of lung cancer; however, a cure is
difficult to achieve because SCLC has a greater tendency to be
widely disseminated by the time of diagnosis.Incidence and
Mortality The overall incidence and mortality rates of SCLC in
the United States have decreased during the past few decades.
Estimated new cases and deaths from lung cancer (SCLC and non-
small cell lung cancer [NSCLC] combined) in the United States in
2013: - New cases: 228,190. - Dea