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Cáncer pulmonar de células pequeñas - Overview

Nombres alternativos

Cáncer de pulmón de células pequeñas; Carcinoma microcítico de pulmón; SCLC

Definición:

Es un tipo de cáncer pulmonar de crecimiento rápido. Se disemina mucho más rápidamente que el cáncer pulmonar de células no pequeñas.

Existen tres tipos diferentes de este cáncer:

  • Carcinoma de células pequeñas (cáncer de células en avena)
  • Carcinoma mixto de células pequeñas y grandes
  • Carcinoma combinado de células pequeñas

La mayoría de los cánceres pulmonares de células pequeñas corresponden al primer tipo.

Causas:

Alrededor del 15% de todos los casos de cáncer pulmonar son cáncer pulmonar de células pequeñas. Este tipo de cáncer es ligeramente más común en los hombres que en las mujeres.

Casi todos los casos de este tipo de cáncer se deben al consumo de cigarrillo y es poco común en aquellas personas que nunca han fumado.

El cáncer pulmonar de células pequeñas es la forma de cáncer pulmonar más agresiva y generalmente comienza en los conductos aéreos (bronquios) en el centro del tórax. Aunque las células cancerosas son pequeñas, crecen rápidamente y forman tumores grandes. Estos tumores a menudo se diseminan con rapidez a otras partes del cuerpo, incluyendo el cerebro, el hígado y el hueso.

  • Reviewed last on: 9/26/2010
  • David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital.

Referencias

Johnson DH, Blot WJ, Carbone DP, et al. Cancer of the lung: Non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. In: Abeloff MD, Armitage JO, Niederhuber JE, Kastan MB, McKenna WG, eds. Abeloff’sClinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 76.

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