Walter Scott, MD

This management guide covers the symptoms, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), mesothelioma, and thymoma from a surgical, medical, and radiation oncology approach.

As discussed in chapter 3, there are two major subdivisions of lung cancer: small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), for which chemotherapy is the primary treatment, and non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SCLC is decreasing in frequency in the United States, with recent data showing it represents only 14% of lung cancers. This chapter provides information on the staging and prognosis, pathology and pathophysiology, treatment, and follow-up of long-term survivors of SCLC and concludes with brief discussions on mesothelioma and thymoma.

As discussed in chapter 6, there are two major subdivisions of lung cancer:small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), for which chemotherapy is the primary treatment,and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SCLC is decreasing in frequencyin the United States, with recent data showing it represents only 14%of lung cancers. This chapter provides information on the staging and prognosis,pathology and pathophysiology, treatment, and follow-up of longtermsurvivors of SCLC and concludes with brief discussions on mesotheliomaand thymoma.