Small cell carcinoma

A 50 yr old smoker for the past 30 years complained of weight loss, malaise and chronic cough.  Chest X-ray revealed a right lower lobe mass for which he had an open lung biopsy.

1.    What is your diagnosis?

Small cell carcinoma

2.    What are the common histological features?

Small round oval cells, darkly stained, lymphocytic like cells

Tightly packed, little cytoplasm, large number of mitoses

The cells grow in clusters that exhibit neither glandular nor squamous organisation

3.    What are the important histological types of lung carcinoma?

Small cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma

Adenocarcinoma

Undifferentiated large cell carcinoma

4.    Is surgical resection an option in this case?  Why?  Could it be an option if it were a different histological type?

No.  Wide metastasis at the moment of diagnosis.  Yes

6.This patient may have some endocrinological manifestation.  Why?  

Name some of them.

Due to ectopic hormone production:

ACTH: Cushing syndrome, hypokalemia

ADH: hyponatremia.

7.    Name 2 other ways of obtaining tissue confirmation from this man.

Fine needle aspiration

Bronchial washing

Transbronchial biopsy

Node biopsy � mediastinoscopy

<< PREVIOUS            INDEX            NEXT SLIDE >>

Copyright � Joseph Ong 2003