Few things can hold a candle to the sheer devastation of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). I was reminded of this, when I struck up a random conversation with someone waiting for a bus earlier today. Her husband was diagnosed just before Christmas and she doesn’t expect him to last until the anniversary of their first son’s death in May.
SCLC is the ultimate villain in the world of cancer. If cancers were ranked like movie villains, this one would be right up there with Darth Vader, Voldemort, and that creepy clown from It. It’s fast, aggressive, and spreads before you even know what hit you. By the time most people get diagnosed, the cancer is already spread, running laps around their body like an Olympic sprinter.
Unlike its less aggressive cousin, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which tends to take its time, SCLC is in a rush. It’s like the over-caffeinated, sleep-deprived intern of the cancer world, growing and spreading at breakneck speed. You could be feeling just fine, maybe a little more tired than usual, and then, bam, by the time doctors figure out what’s wrong, it has already spread to your brain, liver, or bones.
The cruel irony of SCLC is that it actually responds really well to initial treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation often shrink the tumors dramatically. For a brief, shining moment, it looks like the fight is going well. But then, like a horror movie villain who refuses to stay dead, SCLC comes back. And when it does, it’s even angrier. The cancer cells become resistant to treatment, making second-line therapies far less effective.
If SCLC were a game, the odds would be stacked unfairly against the player. The five-year survival rate for extensive-stage SCLC (meaning it has already spread) hovers around a dismal 3%. Even in limited-stage cases, where it’s still somewhat contained, the five-year survival rate is only around 30%. Those are some of the worst survival rates of any major cancer.
If SCLC had a best friend, it would be cigarettes. About 98% of people who develop this cancer have a history of smoking. It’s one of the deadliest consequences of tobacco addiction, making an already horrifying disease even more tragic, because in many cases, the negative impact of smoking was not general knowledge until it was too late for many people.
Despite its horror-movie reputation, researchers are working hard to find better treatments. Immunotherapy has shown promise, and new clinical trials are exploring ways to slow down this relentless disease. But for now, SCLC remains one of the most vicious cancers out there.
Today’s thought goes to everyone affected by cancer and in particular to Bruce and Sandra.
Photo by National Cancer Institute
