Large Cell Lung Cancer
Large Cell Lung Cancer
Large Cell Lung Cancer often begins in the central part of the lung. Of the non-small cell lung cancers, this type is usually discovered at a later stage. Large cell lung cancers tend to grow quickly and spread. The cancer may spread into nearby lymph nodes and into the chest wall.
It also can spread to more distant organs, even when the tumor in the lung is relatively small. Most people who develop large cell lung cancer are past or present smokers. Sometimes lung cancer is discovered on a chest X-ray or CT scan that was done for some other diagnostic concern.
When symptoms occur, the most common one is a persistent cough. Other symptoms that can be related to lung cancer include:
Coughing up blood
Shortness of breath
A wheeze in just one side of the chest
Marked fatigue
Pneumonia that returns to the same area of the lung
Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
In general, the goal of treatment is to shrink or remove the tumor. Treatment could include surgery to remove the tumor, radiation or chemotherapy. Surgery is the primary treatment for Large Cell Lung Cancer that has not spread. For small tumors limited to one area, it might be possible to remove only a small section of the lung. More extensive cancer might require removing one lobe of the lung or the entire lung.
To help keep the cancer in check, doctors may recommend radiation and/or chemotherapy in addition to surgery. Surgery may not be a safe option for people with other serious health problems and doctors may recommend radiation, or a combination of radiation and chemotherapy.
Unfortunately, chemotherapy and radiation do not work as well against large cell lung cancer as they do against other types of tumors. A new form of Large Cell Lung Cancer therapy, Cyberknife, uses highly focused beams of radiation and may be an option for people who cannot have surgery and is less damaging to nearby tissues.